La Liga: Real Madrid Can Continue Their Push With Goal-Shy Alaves in Their Way

Alaves vs Real Madrid

Nothing much has changed after the 17^th matchday of the 2023-24 campaign, as Real Madrid are still behind Girona in the La Liga standings.

Real Madrid managed to dispatch Villarreal with a convincing 4-1 victory yesterday, but Girona also took care of business against Alaves with a 3-0 scoreline, who happen to be Los Blancos’ upcoming opponent on Thursday night.

So this match presents another opportunity for Real Madrid to be back on top since they have Alaves’ number lately, while Girona have a seemingly tougher opponent in Real Betis.

The SBOTOP betting odds prior to the game indicate that Real Madrid will likely win easily again, although given their injuries, they may face more difficulties in Mendizorrotza.

Talking Points

Real Madrid face Modric and injury dilemma

Carlo Ancelotti has said time and time again that Real Madrid won’t be busy come January, but perhaps he might change his stance given the team’s current circumstances.

Yes, Real Madrid have been the best defencive team in La Liga this season, with only 11 goals conceded so far. However, they may need to shore up their depth back there, since one of their top centre-backs caught the injury bug on Monday.

David Alaba became the third Los Blancos defender to suffer a torn ACL alongside Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao, effectively ending his 2023-24 campaign, which means that only Antonio Rudiger and Nacho are their only healthy centre-backs as of this writing.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s top management will also have to make a decision about Luka Modric, who is at risk of leaving the club next summer since his current deal is about to expire.

Modric’s 12-year stay at the Bernabeu has been a fruitful one, to say the least, and the 38-year-old midfielder showed why he remains valuable in the squad during their win against the Yellow Submarine.

The Croatian international struck the bar, and then he helped Real Madrid open the scoring through Jude Bellingham in the 25th minute, as he teed up the Englishman for the header past goalie Filip Jorgensen.

And then, 12 minutes later, Modric’s corner found its way to Rodrygo, who scored the second goal of the game, which was initially ruled out by the VAR.

Alaves couldn’t buy a goal

Alaves haven’t scored a single league goal since November, which is a troubling trend that shouldn’t continue if they are to prolong their stay in the Spanish top-flight after this season.

Luis Garcia Plaza’s boys haven’t won in their last three games as a result, and what’s worse is that they’ve conceded four goals on the other side of the pitch in the process.

All eyes are going to be on Samu Omorodion to try and break his drought on Thursday. The 19-year-old loanee from Atletico Madrid is having a decent season since he leads Alaves in scoring with four goals as their de facto No. 9.

Real Madrid will also have to be wary of Luis Rioja, who is Alaves’ top playmaker this year with one goal and three assists.

History

Alaves are back in the Spanish top-flight after a one-year absence. And so far this season, they’re doing okay at 13^th place in the table.

However, in order to stay away from the dreaded drop zone, they must pull out a result against Real Madrid, which is much easier said than done because Los Blancos have been their bogey team.

Real Madrid have won 15 of their last 17 La Liga games against Alaves (L2), and they have scored in 16 of their last 17 too.

During the 2021-22 season, before they were eventually relegated to the Segunda Division, Alaves dropped their last two league meetings against Real Madrid with an aggregate tally of 7-1, and their last win against Real Madrid was a 2-1 result in November 2020.

Betting Tip

The La Liga 2023 odds favour Real Madrid to win on the road, as they are priced at 1.52, whereas an Alaves win is at 5.30 odds and a draw is at 3.91 in the 1X2 market.

Alaves can hurt Real Madrid in this game, but the latter should be able to win this one simply because they have Jude Bellingham, who has been the difference-maker that has bailed them out multiple times this year.

Real Madrid should be able to create enough La Liga 2023 highlights from this contest, making alternative bets like Over 3.00 at 2.28 and Total Goals 4-6 at 3.00 attractive, while Total Goal 2-3 at 1.98 appears to be a more conservative bet.

 

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