Summary

  • Bellingham scores twice as Real Madrid continue perfect start to La Liga season

  • Real Madrid opened campaign with away win at Athletic Bilbao

  • Almeria lost against Rayo Vallecano in first match

  1. Postpublished at 18:25 British Summer Time 19 August 2023

    Almeria v Real Madrid (18:30 BST)

    Almeria v Real Madrid in 2008Image source, Getty Images

    Almeria have played Real Madrid 14 times previously in La Liga and only won once.

    That came back in February 2008, when Unai Emery was in charge and they beat a Real side containing the likes of Raul, Fabio Cannavaro, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Sergio Ramos, 2-0 at the Power Horse stadium.

    Since then, they have managed just two draws, with Real winning 11 times overall in this fixture.

  2. Postpublished at 18:24 British Summer Time 19 August 2023

    Almeria v Real Madrid (18:30 BST)

    Almeria finished 17th last term and only secured their La Liga status on the final day of the campaign.

    While they have lost El Bilal Toure with Serie A side Atalanta paying around £24m for the Mali forward (their second ever biggest sale after Darwin Nunez £29m), they have been pretty active in the transfer market themselves.

    Colombia international Luis Suarez [not that one] has arrived on loan from Marseille, Sergio Arribas has joined from Real Madrid and the likes of Dion Lopy and Ibrahima Kone have also come in from Reims and Lorient.

    Still even if you add up all those deals and a couple more that they've done, it'd equate to less than half of the £88.5m that Real Madrid forked out for Jude Bellingham, and that's without the various add-ons the Spanish giants have agreed to pay Borussia Dortmund.

  3. Postpublished at 18:23 British Summer Time 19 August 2023

    Almeria v Real Madrid (18:30 BST)

    Andriy LuninImage source, Getty Images

    Andriy Lunin continues in goal for Real Madrid this weekend despite Kepa Arrizabalaga's loan move from Chelsea.

    Ukraine goalkeeper Lunin played in Real's 2-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao in their opening game of the La Liga season last weekend, after first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was ruled out for the majority of the campaign with an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in training.

    In his pre-match news conference Ancelotti said:"Kepa is adapting very well, the first week of work has shown what we already know -- a lot of quality and a lot of personality.

    "We will continue with Lunin who did well in Bilbao and in the next games, we'll see."

  4. Team news - Bellingham starts alongside Kroos in midfield for visitorspublished at 18:20 British Summer Time 19 August 2023

    Almeria v Real Madrid (18:30 BST)

    Almeria boss Vicente Moreno makes four changes to the side that began the 2-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano in their opening La Liga game of the season.

    Goalkeeper Diego Marino, Alex Pozo, Srdan Babiic and Lazaro all make way as Luis Maximiano, Chumi, Marc Pubill and Sergio Arribas start.

    Almeria XI: Maximiano, Akieme, Chumi, Gonzalez, Pubill, Baba, Robertone, Embarba, Ramazani, Arribas, Suarez.

    Subs: Marino, Martínez, Kaiky, Lopy, Puigmal, Melero, Lazaro, Pozo, Centelles, Kone, Appiah, Gui.

    Real Madrid make two alterations from the side that started their 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in their first game of the new season.

    Defender Eder Militao is out with a long term knee injury that he picked up in that fixture and French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga drops to the bench as Toni Kroos and Antonio Rudiger start.

    Real Madrid XI: Lunin, Garcia, Alaba, Rudiger, Carvajal, Kroos, Tchouameni, Valverde, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior.

    Subs: Kepa, Gonzalez, Nacho, Modric, Camavinga, Joselu, Vazquez, Diaz, Paz

  5. Good eveningpublished at 18:15 British Summer Time 19 August 2023

    Jude BellinghamImage source, Getty Images

    Anyone fancy some Spanish football, with a sprinkling of some of the world's best players in action?

    If so, welcome to our coverage of Real Madrid's trip to Almeria in La Liga.