Real Madrid can maintain their slim hopes of winning the Primera Division this season if they can overcome Alaves on Sunday.
Barcelona’s Saturday draw with Valencia has left the door slightly ajar for Santi Solari’s side, who face their Clasico rivals over two legs in the Copa del Rey semi-finals over the coming fortnight.
Alaves, though, are enjoying a terrific season and are in the mix to finish in the Champions League places themselves this term, even if their form has dipped of late.
| Game | Real Madrid vs Alaves |
| Date | Sunday, February 3 |
| Time | 7:45pm GMT / 2:45pm ET |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| beIN Sports / beIN Sports en Espanol | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be streamed on Eleven Sports 1.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | Eleven Sports 1 |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Real Madrid players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Courtois, Luca, Altube |
| Defenders | Carvajal, Varane, Marcelo, Nacho, Reguilon, Sanchez, Odriozola |
| Midfielders | Modric, Casemiro, Jaume, Ceballos, Valverde, Brahim, Isco, Asensio, Llorente |
| Forwards | Vazquez, Vinicius Jr, Cristo, Bale, Mariano |
Luca Zidane and Jesus Vallejo are the only players injured for Santi Solari heading into this encounter, although suspension hits Dani Carvajal and Raphael Varane, costing the defence two of its regulars.
Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric and Nacho are all one booking away from missing the midweek Clasico, so will have to tread carefully.
Gareth Bale plays his first match at the Bernabeu since December 12.
Real Madrid starting XI: Courtois; Odriozola, Nacho, Ramos, Reguilon; Modric, Casemiro, Ceballos; Bale, Benzema, Vinicius
| Position | Alaves players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Pacheco, Dominguez |
| Defenders | Navarro, Maripan, Laguardia, Duarte, Marin, Vigaray |
| Midfielders | Jony, Manu Garcia, Pina, Wakaso, Perera, Twumasi, Burgui, Blanco |
| Forwards | Baston, Calleri, Rolan, Guidetti |
Alaves head into this encounter bereft of Rodrigo Ely, Darko Brasanac and Antonio Sivera.
Ruben Sobrino, meanwhile, is no longer part of their ranks, having been sold to Valencia.
They are expected to mirror their opponents’ 4-3-3 formation.
Possible Alaves starting XI: Pacheco; Vigaray, Maripán, Laguardia, Duarte; Wakaso, Tomás Pina, Manu García, Burgui; Calleri, Jony
Betting & Match Odds
Real Madrid are hot favourites with Bet365 to take the win, priced at 1/5. Alaves are a 14/1 outshot, while a draw is available at 11/2.
Match Preview
GettyReal Madrid hope that the return of Gareth Bale to their squad for Sunday’s fixture against Alaves can provide them with fresh impetus as they continue to hunt down Barcelona at the summit of the Primera Division.
They were given some hope on Saturday night as the Catalans fell 2-0 down at home against Valencia and, while Lionel Messi was able to salvage the situation to secure a 2-2 draw, Ernesto Valverde’s side showed they are susceptible to slip-ups.
If Madrid are to stage a remarkable recovery, then they will have to win on Sunday, though the return of Bale, the man head coach Santi Solari sees as Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement, is a huge boost.
“He looks connected, switched on, and we want him to perform like he knows how to, like he did at the Club World Cup, at Roma ... he's so important for us,” the coach said on the eve of this encounter.
Los Blancos have now won their last four matches but have habitually thrown in the odd poor performance under Solari, which has seen them cede further ground to their Catalan rivals after they made a poor start to the season under Julen Lopetegui.
Serene progress was made into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, where they will meet Barca on Wednesday in the first leg, with a 7-3 aggregate success over Girona. Karim Benzema, an oft-criticised figure around the Bernabeu, especially caught the eye and has now scored five times in three games.
“I'm sorry for those who have discovered Benzema last week,” the coach said. “But hey, they still have time to enjoy him!”
Alaves will certainly not relish the prospect of having to stop the in-form Frenchman and his increasingly confident cohorts.
They come into the match winless in their last four games, dealing a blow to their hopes of qualifying for Europe, while they are almost entirely reliant upon their defensive strength, having scored only 22 goals in 21 league outings – a record only marginally better than the bottom two clubs.
Madrid will seek to take full advantage.