After having shown their dominance even without their key starters against Granada last Saturday, and having celebrated their league triumph with their fans with a parade in Cibeles on Sunday, Real Madrid return to action in La Liga for one of their remaining fixtures against Deportivo Alaves.
This match is one of the three matches that the Merengues have still to play in this year’s league campaign, but undoubtedly, most of their attention will be focused on the UEFA Champions League final, in which they will be facing Borussia Dortmund, on 1st June.
But as Los Blancos do not have much to play for in La Liga, Carlo Ancelotti will once again be able to give minutes to some of his fringe players, as he has been doing for the last few matches. Only in the match against Granada, several bench players got to start the game, with Arda Guler, Fran Garcia, and Brahim Diaz, all also getting on the scoresheet.
However, Ancelotti cannot go all easy on his main starters as well, mainly because he will be looking to have them in the best of shapes ahead of the final against Dortmund, and also because of the threat that Alaves will pose to their winning momentum.
Real Madrid are clearly the most in-form team in the league, but they cannot take a victory against Alaves for granted, as Luis Garcia’s side has also been in good form in the league. Before the 2-2 draw against Girona in their last match, Alaves had beaten difficult opponents like Valencia, Celta Vigo, and Atletico Madrid in consecutive games.
Furthermore, Real Madrid will be without one of their key players in Aurelien Tchouameni, who suffered a left foot injury during the second leg of the UCL semi-final against Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, players like Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao will be looking to step on the pitch again and gain further physical sharpness.
There have also been concerns with Jude Bellingham’s fitness lately, but he is named in the squad for this match. With three matches remaining, he will also be looking to get his hands on the Pichichi trophy, for which he is competing with the likes of Artem Dovbyk, Alexander Sorloth, Robert Lewandowski, and Ante Budimir. Currently, he sits third, two goals behind Dovbyk’s 20.
Meanwhile, Alaves will also be without some of their important players like Aleksandar Sedlar and Ruben Duarte, but Samu Omorodion, their top-scorer, will be able to play as he returns after serving his suspension in the last match.
Thus, while Ancelotti will mostly use fringe players for this match, some of the main starters will also start this match to retain their physical shape ahead of the UCL final. Hopefully, players like Guler and Brahim will once again be able to amaze the Santiago Bernabeu faithful, and get another full three points for the team.
