After winning an enviable victory at the UEFA Super Cup in Helsinki on Wednesday, Real Madrid is now getting ready to start La Liga’s play as they start their season on the road against newly promoted Almeria this Sunday.
Los Blancos topped German side Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in midweek to lift their trophy for the second time and keep the ominous Frankfurt attack under wraps during the entire 90-minute.
The champions of the reigning Champions League and La Liga title holders are set to defend their title in the country before heading out on the road to take on one of the league’s three newcomers.
Almeria took home Almeria won the Segunda Division last season, top of the table for goals scored after finishing even in scores with Real Valladolid. La Union, owned by Saudi royal advisor Turki Al-Sheikh, displayed the perfect combination of defensive savvy and attacking flair in the last season scoring 68 goals in 42 games in the league (good for second-highest for the entire league) while conceding only 35 (best in the league).
USA Sunday’s game will be broadcast live in the United States by ESPN exclusively via their streaming platform ESPN+.
UK in the UK the game is available via Premier Sports 1 and streamed by Premier Player.
Canada The Canadian Football League is available in Canada, La Liga matches are only available on TSN TV and streaming platforms.
Australia The game from Power Horse Stadium. Power Horse Stadium will be streamed by Optus Sport.
Almeria against. Real Madrid projected lineups and team information
While Almeria had a knack for scoring goals during La Liga 2, the Spanish top flight is going to present a completely different challenge.
Though he is a possible move goal, Nigerian international Umar Sadiq is expected to be the leader of the team for the newly promoted team against Real Madrid, looking to make his impressive 18-goal, 12 assist season of last year to his first season in the Spanish first division. The front line is bolstered by a combination of youth and experience in the wingers Largie Ramazani (21 years old) and Francisco Portillo (32 years old). Ramazani could be a transfer candidate prior to the closing of the transfer window.
Almeria has brought an 18-year-old Brazilian center back Kaiky from Santos however it’s not likely Kaiky will be ready to begin his first game. Rodrigo Ely and Srdjan Babic created a partnership last year, and it could be a continuation when the player’s development continues.
The manager Carlo Ancelotti promised some tweaks to the Real Madrid lineup coming out of the Super Cup. The new center-back Antonio Rudiger, who earned only a few minutes on the field in Helsinki could play alongside Eder Militao as a central defensive. David Alaba is projected to assume the left-back role as Lucas Vazquez replaces the injured Dani Carvajal (ankle) at right-back.
On the front, Ballon d’Or front-runner, Karim Benzema is the leader of the attack along with his reliable Brazilian partner Vinicius Jr. to support him on the left. Rodrygo is not in the game, and Marco Asensio could line up on the right of forwards, with Fede Valverde in the central midfield team, and Aurelien Tchouameni is expected to take a break from Casemiro, as per Spanish media.
Real Madrid projected starting lineup (4-3-3 from right from right): Courtois (GK) -Courtois (GK) – Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba — Valverde, Tchouameni, Modric -Asensio Benzema, Vinicius.
Almeria vs. Real Madrid betting pick & prediction
Odds via DraftKings (USA) & Sports Interaction (Canada)
Almeria scored a lot of scores during the Spanish second division last season, however, since Champions League title-holders Real Madrid welcomed them into the top league the attack style of the newly promoted team will likely change.
Los Blancos are led in front by attractive Karim Benzema. However, their defensive structure lets Madrid to remain so sturdily at home and on the road. The addition of new defensive player Antonio Rudiger only bolsters their defense. There’s no way for Almeria and they are predicted by bookmakers to win against the league’s reigning champions.