Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves Prediction: Back more goals in the second 45

Real Madrid enjoyed a good result and performance at the weekend and they'll be looking to follow that up with another home win on Tuesday evening. This one kicks-off at 20:00 and will be shown live on Premier Sports 1.

Our La Liga expert Mark Sochon got the assignment for this one as he previews the encounter and takes us through his Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves Predictions...

Real Madrid are in action at the Santiago Bernabéu for the third time in eight days on Tuesday night, with Alavés their latest visitors. 

It's a significant date for Los Blancos given it will mark exactly one year since their last defeat in La Liga. That loss came via a 3-1 margin in the Madrid derby at the Estadio Metropolitano on September 24th 2023. Carlo Ancelotti's side have not been defeated inside 90 minutes in any competition since. 

That's a record which now spans 56 matches overall, after their latest victory over Espanyol on Saturday. It's an extraordinary record for a team that always seems to find a way, even when they aren't playing their best football. 

There have been a number of matches already this season which fit that description, but Carlo Ancelotti's side have tended to grow into games and ultimately wear their opponents down. 

Real Madrid travel across the Spanish capital to take on Atlético this weekend, so Carlo Ancelotti will have one eye on that fixture when he picks his starting eleven for this game. He rested Éder Militão in the 3-1 Champions League win over Stuttgart last Tuesday, while Vinícius Júnior and Antonio Rüdiger dropped to the bench at the weekend. 

Vinícius still ended up having perhaps his best game of the season to date, with the Brazilian's 55th minute introduction coming with Los Blancos 1-0 down and in a spot of bother.  

We saw yet another really strong finish from Real Madrid though, a recurring theme in their matches this season. Vinícius scored one and assisted another as Ancelotti's side ultimately sealed a 4-1 victory, with Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappé also on the scoresheet. 

On paper, this is another relatively favourable home fixture against an Alavés side that has lost 17 of their last 19 fixtures against the current Spanish and European champions. 

They were beaten 5-0 here in May, but it was still a busy night for Thibaut Courtois, who was required to make 10 saves to preserve his clean sheet. The Belgian will be hoping for a quieter evening on Tuesday against an Alavés forward-line that has changed significantly since the most recent meeting. 

The Basque side's most advanced players in that fixture were Samu Omorodion, Ianis Hagi, Álex Sola and Luis Rioja. All four have since departed the club, but their boss Luis García has a number of new options with the club completing a total of 12 summer signings. 

The early signs suggest that Alavés have done a reasonably good job of supplementing their attacking options. They've scored twice in all of their last four league fixtures, with victories over Real Sociedad, Las Palmas and Sevilla propelling them into the European places. 

It's highly unlikely that they'll be there by the end of this campaign, but any fears about them suffering a case of second season syndrome, following their promotion in 2023, look to be unfounded. 

García may use this match to rotate his eleven, with the 51-year-old still in the process of figuring out what his best side is. While it's hard to see the visitors throwing too much caution to the wind, Alavés have shown enough in recent weeks to suggest they're capable of asking a few questions of a Real Madrid defence that has only conceded three goals in six league outings this term. 

Team News: 

Ancelotti is expected to again take the opportunity to rest at least a couple of his regular starters. Carvajal is dealing with a minor injury and will definitely drop out, with Lucas Vázquez set to start at right-back. 

Federico Valverde and Kylian Mbappé are the outfielders to have clocked up the most minutes for Real Madrid so far this term and are among the leading candidates for a rest. 18-year-old Endrick is potentially in line for his first start for the club, while the hosts are again missing Dani Ceballos, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Díaz to injuries. 

Alavés are doing better on the selection front overall, but they have problems at right-back with Nahuel Tenaglia missing through injury, while Hugo Novoa is a doubt.  

The visitors are expected to make a number of changes for this midweek fixture, with Moussa Diarra, Santiago Mouriño, Antonio Blanco, Carlos Benavidez and Jon Guridi among the players most likely to rotate in. 

Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves Odds

Real Madrid head into this one as the 2/11 favourites to record a third home win in the space of just over a week. The Draw is priced at 6/1, while Alavés are on offer at 14/1 to replicate their surprise 2020 victory in this fixture. 

They've lost all five meetings since then though, with four of those defeats by margins of three or more goals. Real Madrid -2.00 Handicap is priced at 7/5 if you're expecting Ancelotti's side to dominate again, while you can back Real Madrid to win to nil at 4/5. 

One clear trend in Madrid matches so far this term, is that the European champions are scoring almost all of their goals after the break and often very late in games. You can back Draw/Real Madrid at 3/1 in the Half-Time/Full-Time market here while Draw or Alavés is priced at 13/10 in the First Half Double Chance market. 

With the visitors in decent form in front of goal, backing Both teams to score at 6/5 may appeal to some punters, while you can back there to be Over 3.5 goals in total in the match at 5/4. 

Talk of a possible first start for Endrick makes the teenager one to keep an eye on here. He's already scored twice for Real Madrid despite limited involvement to date. The Brazilian forward is available at 9/2 to score first and 5/4 to score anytime. 

*You can check out all of the Football Odds we offer over at betfred.com

Bet 1 - Highest Scoring Half - 2nd Half @ 1/1 

Real Madrid's eight competitive matches so far this season have served up a total of 22 goals. 20 of those strikes have come in the Second Half, with all of their last four matches being goalless at the break, only for things to open up considerably after the interval. 

That's a pattern we may see repeat itself throughout this season. It certainly feels like Real Madrid are struggling to break down defensively minded sides initially, with things only opening up when their opponents start to tire, or find themselves in a position where they have to chase the game. 

With so much pace in attack, Los Blancos are perfectly suited to exploiting gaps when they start to appear and I'm backing the recent trend to continue here, with the Second Half on offer at Evens in the Highest Scoring Half market.