Relegated Real Oviedo will hit the road to square up against a wounded Real Madrid side at the Bernabeu on Thursday night.

Having suffered a humiliating 2-0 defeat at the hands of champions Barcelona in the Clasico last time out, Real Madrid will be eager to bounce back with a statement win in front of their fans when they host bottom-placed Real Oviedo.

The home team are second on the table with 77 points in their 35 outings. While they have a comfortable eight-point lead over third-placed Villarreal, the defeat in El Clasico means the Merengues are now 14 points behind the newly-crowned champions.

Real Madrid have been extremely inconsistent this season, which is one of the major reasons why they have gone trophyless. Los Blancos have only won two out of their last five league games. Their form hasn’t been good enough, but they will be eager to get it right against Real Oviedo.

Meanwhile, the visitors are the first team to be officially relegated to the second division. Despite all their efforts, they could not survive in the top flight, as they only have 29 points in their 35 outings. They are ten points behind 17th-placed Girona.

While Real Oviedo did showcase a lot of fight in the final weeks of the season, a run of four games without a win meant they couldn’t keep themselves alive heading into the final three games of the season. They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 0-0 draw against Getafe.

Despite going down to nine men, they did manage to secure a point, and it will certainly give them a lot of confidence. However, taking down Real Madrid in their own backyard will require a lot more. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.

Team News & Tactics

Real Madrid

The home team will be without the services of Federico Valverde (head), Dani Ceballos (thigh), Ferland Mendy (ligament), Rodrygo (knee), Eder Militao (hamstring), Arda Guler (thigh), and Dani Carvajal (leg). Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe remains a doubt after pulling out of the Clasico during the final training session.

The team in white will continue to line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Thibaut Courtois will be in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fran Garcia will continue as full-backs, while Antonio Rudiger could line up alongside Dean Huijsen in the central defensive partnership.

As for the midfield unit, Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham will feature on the flanks . Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga will be the two central midfielders who will look to control the tempo of the game from the centre of the park. Finally, Vinicius Junior and Gonzalo Garcia should be the two forwards for the Spanish giants.

Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Courtois, Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Garcia; Diaz, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Bellingham; Garcia, Vinicius Junior

Real Oviedo

The visitors will be without the services of Jaime Vazquez (groin) and Eric Bailly (broken nose). Leander Dendoncker is a doubt with a muscle injury, while Javi Lopez and Kwasi Sibo are suspended after being sent off last time out.

RealOviedo will also line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Aaron Escandell will be in goal. Nacho Vidal and Rahim Alhassane will be the full-backs. Meanwhile, David Costas will pair up with Dani Calvo at the heart of the defence.

The back four will look to keep things tight, and they will receive significant support from the four in quartet of them. Haissem Hassan and Thiago Fernandez will feature on the flanks, while Alberto Reina and Santi Cazorla will be the two central midfielders.

In the final third, Federico Vinas will start alongside Ilyas Chaira. The duo will be waiting for opportunities to hit Real Madrid on the break.

Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Escandell; Vidal, Costas, Calvo, Alhassane; Hassan, Reina, Cazrola, Fernandez; Chaira, Vinas

Key Stats

• Real Madrid have been awarded the most penalties in La Liga this season (14).
• Los Blancos only have 8 goals in their last five outings, which is below their season’s average of two goals per game.
• Aaron Escandell is the best shot-stopper in La Liga with 4.1 saves per match.
• Oviedo have the worst attack in the league with just 26 goals in 35 outings.
• The visitors have been winless in their last five league outings.

Player to Watch

Vinicius Junior

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Vinicius will once again be under the spotlight as Real Madrid look to bounce back from their disappointing defeat to Barcelona. While the Brazilian international has registered impressive numbers this season with 21 goals and 14 assists in 51 appearances, there is still a feeling that he has not delivered consistently enough in the biggest games.

He barely had any impact in El Clasico, and the winger will certainly be eager to respond with a strong performance here. Prior to the defeat against the Catalan giants, Vinicius had found the back of the net in three consecutive league outings, and he will be eager to get back on track here.

Prediction

Real Madrid 3-0 Real Oviedo

Real Madrid will be desperate to put the disappointment of El Clasico behind them and give their fans something to cheer about at the Bernabeu. While their overall form this season has been inconsistent, Los Blancos still possess far too much quality for a struggling Oviedo side that have already been relegated from the top flight.

Meanwhile, the visitors will look to stay compact and frustrate Real Madrid for as long as possible, especially with Aaron Escandell enjoying an impressive campaign between the sticks. However, Oviedo’s lack of firepower could once again hurt them against a wounded Real Madrid side determined to respond strongly.  The Hard Tackle predicts a comfortable 3-0 win for Real Madrid.