The Madrid derby saw local rivals face off at the Santiago Bernabeu, where the Red and Whites held Royal Whites for a stalemate at their home even after going one man down during the game. This has given La Blaugrana a 7-point advantage over arch-rivals, with one game in hand.
Heading to the matchday, Xavi Hernandez considers putting an all-offensive team against the Andalusian outfit fighting relegation at the moment. Recent reports from SPORT suggest that Xavi will sideline his 4-man midfield system to return to the classic 4-3-3 system against UD Almeria.
The main objective is to get more offensive threat, but with the loss of Pedri, the offensive buildup is all but gone as was seen against Manchester United midweek at Old Trafford. In this regard, Xavi is expected to turn to Ferran Torres who is heading into the fixture after a splendid display against Cadiz.
The loss of Ansu Fati due to knee contusion has further depleted the squad’s depth in the attacking front, leaving only Angel Alarcon as an option from the bench. It is also worth noticing that the squad will undergo a lot of rotations against UD Almeria as demanding fixtures in Copa Del Rey are in line, that too against Real Madrid.
Ronald Araujo also had some discomforts during the match against Manchester United and is likely to sit this game out as he is much needed to neutralize Vinicius on Thursday.
Another possible candidate to get some rest is veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets, who just returned from injury. Jordi Alba could return to the starting XI, who did not play against Manchester United in the second leg at all to provide some more attacking presence in the final third against the low block of UD Almeria.