After a nail-biting victory over Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid now travel to the Canary Islands to take on UD Las Palmas. Los Blancos are still in the hunt for the title and will look to continue with the winning momentum.
Match details
Date: Saturday, 27th January 2024
Competition: La Liga
Matchday: 22
Time: 17:15 CEST
Venue: Estadio Gran Canaria
Match preview
It took a Dani Carvajal goal in the 99th minute for Madrid to win against last-placed Almeria last weekend. The game was marred with controversial decisions but in the end, it was the men in white who prevailed.
Jude Bellingham got a yellow card in stoppage time and due to an accumulation of yellow cards, he will not be travelling with the team for this fixture. Meanwhile, Girona were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey and have Celta Vigo to face tomorrow, so the Merengues would expect them to be low on morale and drop points.
For the Madridistas, it would be a delight to see Vinícius back in goal-scoring form and Dani Carvajal going through a purple patch. It would also be a blessing in disguise for Jude Bellingham who deserved some rest since the last couple of games and is finally getting one.
But, it will not be easy for Madrid to penetrate through the Las Palmas defense as the men in yellow have the 2nd best defense in the league – 17 conceded – but have scored less than half the goals Real have scored in the league – 21.
The Canary Island team is expected to keep a low block and the Vikings would expect Brahim, Vinícius or Rodrygo to penetrate their defence with their pace.
In the pre-match press conference, Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged the fact that even though they won against Almería, the victory should have been a more comfortable one: “We are motivated to return to our best level after two bad matches,” said the Italian.
Carlo Ancelotti also confirmed that Andriy Lunin would be the starting goalkeeper for this fixture after Kepa had another poor outing and could have easily avoided both the goals he conceded.
Defensively, Carvajal is expected to captain the side. Three substitutions changed the last game and one of them was Fran García, who may be high on morale and start this fixture.
Rüdiger and Nacho would be the obvious center-back pairing, but according to MARCA, the German may be rested for this fixture. Which in case, would mean that Tchouméni starts alongside Nacho.
In the midfield, it would be the obvious trio of Kroos, Fede Valverde and if Tchouaméni is the center-back, then the third player to complete the trio would be Camavinga or Dani Ceballos.
Jude Bellingham’s suspension has opened the gates for Brahím Diaz to start as he would slot right into his position. However, a start for Joselu is also not ruled out as Carlo mentioned: “Brahim & Joselu are the options to replace Jude Bellingham tomorrow.”
Upfront, it would be the Brazilian duo of Vinícius and Rodrygo although it would not be a surprise if Joselu starts with one of the Brazilians due to his aerial ability and smartness to find spaces inside the box.
Overall, Real Madrid are expected to steamroll Las Palmas but it will not be as straightforward. The Merengues are not a club to give up easily, so a win today would keep Girona on their toes.
