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Real Madrid host Alaves in what should be a fairly manageable game for Los Blancos in La Liga. Then, Solari’s men will have their hands full as they face Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Semifinals on Wednesday, Atletico Madrid in the Madrid Derby next weekend and Ajax in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday 13th.
All things considered, coach Santiago Solari could decide to make some rotations for this game. He needs his starters to be fresh for the tough month ahead and this match against Alaves gives the coaching staff a good chance to give the key players some rest.
Alaves have been performing well this season and are currently sitting in 6th position. However, Madrid have also completed some encouraging performances lately and this is a home game for them, so they should be considered the favorites to beat Alaves as Los Blancos try to gain some momentum ahead of El Clasico.
Team Updates
Jesus Vallejo is Real Madrid’s only injured player right now. Bale, Asensio, Llorente and Kroos have recovered from their injuries and need minutes to improve their conditioning if the coaching staff wants them to be a factor this month.
Projected lineups
Real Madrid projected XI: Courtois, Odriozola, Varane, Nacho, Reguilon, Llorente, Ceballos, Kroos, Asensio, Vazquez, Vinicius.
Alaves projected XI: Pacheco, Navarro, Maripan, Laguardia, Duarte, Burgui, Garcia, Pina, Jony, Calleri, Baston.
Solari’s quotes
”I’m expecting it to be a game in which our opponents will make things really tough for us. They’re a disciplined, very solid and competitive side that are enjoying a great season. They’re lying in fifth spot and have been even higher up the league. It’s a vitally important game for us and we’ll have to approach it with the utmost concentration”.
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM LA LIGA
Date: 02/03/2019
Time: 20:45 CEST, 02:45pm EST, 11:45pm Pacific.
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain.
Available TV: BeIN Sports (USA), Movistar Partidazo (Spain).
Available Streaming: BeIN Sports (USA), Fubo.TV (EVERY Real Madrid game with a high-quality and legal stream, click here to sign up and benefit from a discount for new members).