Madrid, Nov 27 (IANS): La Liga leaders Real Madrid entertain third-placed Sevilla on Sunday night in a game that has a lot to say about both sides' title hopes.
Real climbed to the top of the table last weekend after a 4-1 win in Granada, and a 3-0 victory in the Champions League away to Sheriff Tiraspol only served to confirm the good form of Carlo Ancelotti's men, with Vinicius Jr in the best form of his career and Toni Kroos also commanding in midfield.
Ancelotti kept the pair on the pitch for the full 90 minutes in midweek along with Luka Modric and Karim Benzema, and one of the small doubts ahead of Sunday's game is whether or not they might start to feel tired, especially after also playing 90 minutes in Granada. reports Xinhua.
Meanwhile, David Alaba, who has been excellent since joining from Bayern Munich in the summer, will miss the game with a minor knee injury, while Gareth Bale remains sidelined with a calf injury.
Eden Hazard should be available after a bout of gastroenteritis, but the Belgian will once again have to settle for a place on the bench, while Nacho Fernandez is the natural replacement for Alaba alongside Eder Militao.
Sevilla travel after a 2-0 win at home to Wolfsburg on Tuesday which kept their Champions League hopes alive, and the side coached by former Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui has had 24 hours more to prepare for the match.
They are without injured striker Youssef En-Nesyri, but could start with the powerful Rafa Mir and the pacy Lucas Ocampos in the attack.
"It will be the first time I have played in the Bernabeu, I'm looking forward to it. Why can't we win there?" commented Mir in sports paper Diario AS.
Lopetegui is likely to set his side out to contain Real, with midfielders Joan Jordan and Fernando sitting in front of the defense and looking for Ocamos and Acuna to try and hit their rivals on the break. A win for Sevilla could see them go top, while three points for Ancelotti's side would give them the chance to confirm their leadership and open a gap at the top if they can win at home to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.