Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu sets the stage for a mini-Madrid derby between La Liga title holders Real Madrid and in-form Deportivo Alaves.

Despite another scoring blank in the first half, Real Madrid overhauled a second-half deficit to beat newly-promoted Espanyol 4-1 at home at the weekend, maintaining a near-faultless 2024/25 start (W6, D2). But two stalemates in the opening three matchdays mean Los Blancos commence this round four points behind table-topping Barcelona, highlighting the importance of extending a three-match winning league run. Though they’ve not been at their usual best thus far, Carlo Ancelotti’s men remain undefeated in La Liga action for a year now, last losing in another Madrid derby against Atletico 12 months ago (W28, D10). On top of that, not since April 2023 have Los Merengues lost a top-tier fixture on home soil (W23, D4), while they’ve won five successive H2Hs, including the last three without conceding.

On the other hand, Deportivo Alaves enjoyed an impressive 2023/24 La Liga campaign, soaring to a 10th-place finish, and they’ve been equally remarkable at the start of the new season. A well-deserved 2-1 home triumph against Sevilla at the weekend made it four league games unbeaten in the opening six (W3, D1, L2), accounting for their best top-flight start since 2018/19. However, you’d need to go back to November 2020 for the last time Alaves triumphed in this fixture, suggesting their dream league start is about to experience a harsh awakening. Adding to this sentiment, Luis Garcia Plaza’s charges have massively stuttered on the road, picking up just two victories across their last ten La Liga travels (D2, L6).