The road to their 36th league title begins with a test that looks just right: Real Madrid, the reigning champions, visit Almeria in the start of the most valuable Spanish tournament. Here you will find the 22 players who are set to start this match that will take place on Sunday, August 14 at 4:00 PM (ET) at the Mediterraneo Stadium.
The onus is on Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid is a team with a short memory where you are only as good as the result of the most recent match played. After having won the Champions League and La Liga, there is no other accepted horizon than the two-time championship in both tournaments. The path began well with the European Super Cup win over Frankfurt.
On the other side of the field, after seven seasons in the Spanish Second Division, Almeria finally returns to La Liga. Under Francesc Ferrer Rubi, they know that their year will be a success if only they can avoid relegation. For this, their home games are key and it is a must to win them... even if they face a team like Los Merengues.
Real Madrid: possible lineup against Almeria in La Liga
Carlo Ancelotti's team played four friendly matches (two wins, one draw and one defeat) before the start of the 2022-2023 La Liga season. They gave a glimpse of what his tactical intentions were with Los Merengues.
Thus, it is very likely that against Almeria he will put into action the team he fielded in Finland against Eintracht Frankfurt, which was the same team that defeated Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool FC in the last Champions League Final.
Possible lineup Real Madrid vs Almeria: Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carbajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy; Casemiro, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos; Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Almeria: possible lineup against Real Madrid in La Liga
While there is an obligation to win as a home team, it is known that if Almeria loses to Real Madrid it would only be one more event governed by logic. That could make the team coached by Rubi really dangerous.
After winning the Spanish Second Division title and gaining promotion to La Liga, Almeria held 5 friendly matches prior to the start of this season. They record was : 3 games lost and won 2. The most recent, the one against Al-Hillal.
Almeria vs Real Madrid possible lineup: Fernando Martinez; Alejandro Pozo, Rodrigo Ely, Kaiky, Sergio Akieme; Cesar de la Hoz, Samu Costa, Largie Ramazani, Lucas Robertone, Francisco Portillo; Umar Sadiq.
