La Liga: Alaves vs Real Madrid Live
Preview
Following Alaves’ loss to La Liga leaders Girona, Real Madrid will try to hand another defeat to Alaves when they visit Mendizorroza on Thursday. A win for Real Madrid could propel them back to the top of the table, while a victory for Alaves could see them move six points clear of the relegation zone.
Since their 3-1 victory over Granada at the end of November, Alaves have been unable to secure a win in any of their first three La Liga matches in December. They played to a goalless draw against Mallorca and suffered consecutive defeats against Las Palmas and Girona without scoring a goal. Luis Garcia described their 3-0 loss to Girona as their worst performance of the year, and their quest for an away La Liga victory since October 2021 continues.
Currently positioned 13th in the top-flight standings, Alaves are only three points clear of the relegation zone and are part of a tight survival battle. Even a win in their upcoming home league match may not be enough to improve their position, as they are three points behind Osasuna in 12th place. However, Alaves will be glad to return to Mendizorroza, where they have earned 13 of their 16 points in 17 La Liga games this season, including seven points from their last four home fixtures.
Eight months after their 3-2 loss to Villarreal at home, Real Madrid sought redemption and continued their unbeaten streak at the Santiago Bernabeu with a 4-1 victory. The win, featuring goals from Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz, and Luka Modric, propelled them four points ahead of Barcelona in third place.
Despite this, surprise leaders Girona remain two points ahead at the top. Real Madrid’s strong start to the season, with 13 wins, three draws, and one loss in 17 league games, is particularly impressive given the absence of several key players due to injury. Additionally, they have accumulated 20 away points in La Liga, second only to Girona’s 22.
Head-to-Head
Real Madrid has been victorious in seven out of their last eight matches at Mendizorroza, scoring a total of 24 goals. Alaves has experienced defeat in 15 of their last 17 top-flight encounters against Real Madrid, with Real Madrid being the team they have suffered the most losses against (28) and conceded the most goals to (92) in their top-flight history.
Prediction
Alaves manager Garcia is looking for significant improvements from his team after their disappointing performance against Girona in their last match. However, it will be a difficult task to stop the strong Real Madrid team on Thursday. Real Madrid will be eager to secure a win against Alaves and hope for Girona to lose points against Real Betis in order to finish 2024 at the top of the table. They are expected to have no trouble securing a win at Mendizorroza, where they have had a lot of success in recent years.
