Real Madrid visit Almeria in a game where both teams will be looking to restore some pride. Almeria were thrashed 5-0 by Barcelona at the Nou Camp while Madrid lost 3-2 in the midweek King’s Cup game versus Irun.
Ruud van Nistelrooy was expected to return to the line up after his suspension last week but has picked up an injury and is unable to play. Raul and Higuain will lead the attack as expected and are likely to be supported by Guti who is expected to start. Sergio Ramos is likely to regain his place after he was punished for criticising the team and manager in the press.
Almeria had an excellent campaign last season and they finished in 8th spot which was thoroughly deserved. Their key player is Alvaro Negredo who is an ex Real Madrid youth player. So far this season he has scored 5 goals and he is eligible to play against Madrid after his red card versus Barcelona, as he served his one match suspension during the midweek cup game. Its odd that Real Madrid play the same team as Barcelona the week after.
Its difficult to predict which Madrid will turn up today but the 3 points are critical to keep pace at the top. The week has been partly dominated in the news by the negative influence of referees. Lets hope their influence on events is minimal and they are not the talking points of the match.
