Real Madrid vs. Sporting: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info
Sporting Gijon face the unenviable task of travelling to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday to face a Real Madrid team that is in red-hot form.
Los Blancos will be hoping to cap off a memorable week on the road with a classy performance on home soil. Indeed, manager Zinedine Zidane has witnessed his side secure vital wins away at Atletico Madrid in La Liga and then at Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League; he'll be keen to keep momentum intact ahead of next week's Clasico showdown with Barcelona.
Gijon are huge underdogs but could certainly do with taking something from this one. They enter the weekend in 18th place, one point behind Deportivo La Coruna, who are out of the relegation spots.
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Here are the key viewing details to see if Madrid can keep up their remarkable form, the main team news on the brink of this one and a look ahead to what should be a fascinating encounter in La Liga.
Date: Saturday, November 26
Time: 3:15 p.m. (GMT), 10:15 a.m. (ET)
TV Info: beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
Team News
Real Madrid: Zidane will be without Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Alvaro Morata. Pepe and Casemiro are also doubts. Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema both returned from their respective layoffs in the win over Sporting CP on Tuesday.
Likely XI: Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric; Lucas Vazquez, Isco, Cristiano Ronaldo; Karim Benzema
Sporting Gijon: Jean-Sylvain Babin will be the main absence for Gijon, having been on the sidelines since early October with a calf problem. Manager Abelardo Fernandez will also be without right-back Lillo Fernandez, who is suspended for the clash.
Likely XI: Ivan Cuellar; Douglas, Jorge Mere, Fernando Amorebieta, Roberto Canella; Victor Rodriguez, Sergio Alvarez, Nacho Cases, Moi Gomez, Isma Lopez; Duje Cop
Teams news courtesy of Transfermarkt.
Preview
Things probably couldn’t have gone too much better for Real Madrid this week. Not only did they secure two wins, one over their bitter city rivals, their other eternal enemy, Barcelona, unexpectedly dropped points on Saturday at home to Malaga.
It means that Zidane’s side head into what is a very winnable game with a four-point buffer to their nearest challengers in the league. But the stoney-faced Los Blancos boss will demand that standards remain sky high, even up against those sides set to be battling relegation come the end of the season.
While the players have earned plaudits for Madrid as of late, the work done by Zidane since taking over as manager shouldn’t be overlooked either.
Ronaldo spoke fondly of the Frenchman following on from his hat-trick in the derby, per AS English:
Indeed, since taking over from Rafael Benitez, the former Castilla boss has steered this team to 24 matches in La Liga without defeat; among those games have been wins at Barcelona and Atletico.
As such, Madrid look well placed to go on and win their first league title since 2011-12. To do so, they need to safely negotiate games like Saturday’s.
The absence of Bale will be an undoubted blow to their chances of doing so, although Madrid should have more than enough class within their ranks to breach what has been a brittle Gijon defence. It also means there will be a chance for others to shine, most notably Isco, who was exceptional in the derby.
Per Ben Hayward of Goal, Zidane possesses an embarrassment of attacking stars who could potentially fill in for the Welshman:
Gijon, meanwhile, will need to put in a monumental effort if they’re to emerge victorious. After a bright start to the season, they’ve faded badly as of late, losing seven and drawing two of their last nine La Liga matches. Madrid, as such, will sense blood.
Provided no complacency creeps into their game, Los Blancos have enough to secure a comfortable victory here, and with Barcelona away at Real Sociedad on Sunday, they have a chance to heap even more pressure on the toiling champions.
Prediction: Real Madrid 4-0 Sporting Gijon
