Cristiano Ronaldo returns, energized and refreshed. The last seven days have been outstanding for the Portuguese superstar.
First he helped Real Madrid defeat Barcelona with a 3-1 comeback in El Clasico. He then scooped a hat-trick of prizes at the LFP Awards and got nominated in the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or’s 23-man shortlist as the hot favourite. The icing on the cake was a well-deserved day off in midweek while Carlo Ancelotti guided a weak selection to victory away to minnows Cornella.
Ronaldo will want to maintain his goal scoring streak against the vulnerable hosts. However, he is likely to come off as a substitute, with Los Blancos’ titanic Champions League fixture against Liverpool coming up next week.
A draw would be enough for the Spanish giants to reach the top of the Primera Division table. Ahead of Matchday 10, they are third with 21 points, behind joint leaders Barcelona and Sevilla who both have 22 points.
In contrast, Granada are only 14th and although the season is still in its early stage, the relegation alarm is already resounding. Indeed, since shocking Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in September, Granada have not tasted victory. They lost to Levante, Malaga and Rayo Vallecano but the biggest of all defeats happened at the Camp Nou in a 6-0 loss against Barcelona.
Last weekend, the struggling side managed nothing more than a draw away to Eibar. Despite taking an eighth minute lead through Nyom, Granada conceded an equalizer with less than 10 minutes left to play in the first half. The second period of the game produced no goal and Granada were forced to be content with a single point instead of three.
Still, Carlo Ancelotti is cautious.
“Granada have changed from last year, and also have a new manager. It will be a tough game with a lot of intensity. Caparrós teams fight hard and are well organised so we'll need to be careful,” the Real Madrid coach said.
Who can put an end to Real Madrid’s incredible run of ten consecutive wins? Granada will want to do that, against all the odds.
Granada's Starting XI: Roberto; Nyom, Babin, Murillo, J. Carlos; Foulquier, Iturra, Eddy, Sissoko; Córdoba, Success.
Real Madrid's Starting XI: Casillas, Pepe, Ramos, Ronaldo, Kroos, Benzema, James, Marcelo, Carvajal, Modric, Isco.
Granada's Subs: Oier, Mainz, Yuste, Márquez, El Arabi, Larsson y Rochina.
Real Madrid's Subs: Navas, Varane, Khedira, Hernandez, Arbeloa, Nacho, Illarramendi.
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