Almeria may be labouring in the Primera Division’s relegation zone, but they will try to gleam confidence from their excellent run in the Copa del Rey prior to a difficult weekend fixture against the mighty Real Madrid.
Boasting just a sprinkling of points all season, Jose Luis Oltra’s side have little to be joyful about at present, though Thursday evening’s 1-0 victory over Deportivo La Coruna does mean that they’re closing in on a semi-final berth in the national cup competition.
Oltra wasn’t pleased that his side failed to turn their midweek domination into goals. The hosts controlled much of the play and fashioned plenty of chances, but Juanma Ortiz’s strike 10 minutes before the break was their sole success.
“We were strong and didn't commit any defensive errors from which our opponents could have scored from,” he explained to the media. “We kept a clean sheet, and this is something I congratulate my players for.
"We have a goal to our name, but we could have finished the match with two or three in our favour. The tie is still open.”
Simply winning any game is a reason for cheer at the Estadio del Mediterraneo at present. Firmly anchored in the relegation zone, it would be astounding if they were to pick up maximum points at the weekend.
Win By Big Margins
It was business as usual for Real Madrid in the Cope del Rey against city rivals Atletico Madrid on Thursday evening. Jose Mourinho’s men may have fallen behind to an early Diego Forlan strike, but they controlled the vast majority of the game and deservedly take a 3-1 advantage into next week’s second leg.
Madrid’s lead is certainly not decisive, but los Blancos were given some valuable extra breathing space thanks to a goal from Mesut Oezil in the last minute of normal time.
“I always tell my players that it is important to win, but it is also paramount to win by big margins,” Mourinho explained. “I liked winning 3-1, but thought we could have tried a little harder and done more to score another goal.”
Famed during stints with Chelsea and Inter as a coach who likes to settle for 1-0 victories, Mourinho’s Madrid have perhaps been a little more pragmatic than their fans might appreciate. But they can hardly grumble about results, and los Blancos’ tally of 46 goals in 18 matches would look positively formidable had it not been for an exceptional Barcelona scoring an astounding 57 in the same period.
Still commanding a perfect record at home this season, los Merengues’ form away from the Bernabeu has been a little more vulnerable. Nevertheless, it would be a big upset if they were to fail in Almeria on Sunday.
TEAM NEWS
Almeria
No serious complaints have been registered after the midweek Copa del Rey encounter. Miguel Angel Nieto and Hernan Pellerano continue to battle injury and are unlikely to feature in midweek.
Real Madrid
Los Blancos haven’t registered any fresh concerns following their success over Atletico Madrid. Jerzy Dudek, Pepe and Gonzalo Higuain remain injury problems for Jose Mourinho.
Prediction
When Almeria welcomed Barcelona to the south in November, they were whipped 8-0, signalling the end for coach Juanma Lillo. While Real Madrid are unlikely to succeed by such a margin at the Estadio del Mediterraneo, there is little danger of los Blancos dropping points.
Almeria 0-4 Real Madrid 
