Overview
Alaves have a record of 5 wins, 3 draws and 7 losses after 15 rounds in La Liga this season, earning a total of 18 points and temporarily ranked 11th in the rankings.
The Basque team entered this match in high spirits after a narrow 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad. They also beat Portugalete in the Copa del Rey, making a relatively successful start to December.
Last season, Alaves only finished in 15th place, so their current performance showed positive signs. This is even considered the best season of achievement for this club in the history of participating in La Liga.
At home, Alaves played quite impressively, earning 14 points after 8 matches, only losing 2 times. However, the upcoming challenge is huge when they have to host Real Madrid - the team with the best away record in La Liga in the 2025-2026 season.
The history of the confrontation is also not in favor of the home team. Alaves have won just five of their 44 meetings with Real Madrid, showing a significant gap between the two sides.
Real Madrid are currently on a 7-match winning streak against Alaves and have not lost to this opponent at home since October 2018.
However, the Spanish Royal team entered this match with poor form. They have lost their last two matches and have only won 2 out of 8 matches in all competitions.
Xabi Alonso's team just suffered a 0-2 defeat to Celta Vigo in La Liga, thereby falling to second place in the rankings, 7 points behind Barcelona (1 match less played). In midweek, Real Madrid continued to lose 1-2 to Manchester City at home in the Champions League, the match witnessed the cheers from the Bernabeu stands.
The pressure is mounting on Alonso, who cannot make more mistakes than to make things more tense. Therefore, Alaves' away trip to the stadium can be considered his most important test since taking over the team.
Real Madrid had previously won 3-0 against Athletic Bilbao in their most recent away trip to La Liga, and they will aim for a similar performance.
Personnel situation
Alaves will continue to be without Nikola Maras due to a knee injury, while facundo Garces is absent due to suspension. Jon Guridi's case is still open and will be assessed further before the match due to a knee problem.
However, the home team is maintaining a fairly positive performance. With a convincing performance against Real Sociedad in the previous round, Eduardo Coudet is likely to keep the same starting lineup for this important match.
On the other hand, Real Madrid are facing a serious force crisis, especially in defense. Dani Carvajal (knee), Ferland Mendy (left), Trent Alexander-Arnold (head), Eder Militao (hamstring) are all injured, while Endrick, Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras are all out due to suspension.
In addition, Eduardo Camavinga ( ankle), David Alaba (leg), Dean Huijsen (not in the best physical condition) and Kylian Mbappe (knee) all need to be checked further before making a final decision.
Huijsen has returned to training and is likely to start. However, Real Madrid's coaching staff are unlikely to take any risks with Mbappe, who was absent from the defeat to Man City in midweek.
Expected lineup:
Alaves: Sivera, Otto, Tenaglia, Pacheco, Parada, Guevara, Calebe, Ibanez, Suarez, Rebbach, Boye.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Rudiger, Huijsen, Asencio, Guler, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius.
The match between Alaves and Real Madrid takes place at 3:00 am on December 15 (Vietnam time).
