Real Madrid’s third straight match at the Santiago Bernabeu kicks off later tonight as part of La Liga’s seventh round.

After winning their last four games in all competitions, The Blancos are doing well and are slowly but surely improving their performance.

Tonight they play at home against Luis Garcia’s Deportivo Alaves. This match is far from over.

Alaves are currently seventh in La Liga with ten points to their name, just four points behind Real Madrid. They have won three games, drawn one and lost two so far this season.

When the two teams met at the Santiago Bernabeu last season, Real Madrid defeated Alaves 5-0 thanks to goals from Vinicius Jr., Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde.

In fact, the Meringues have only failed to beat the Basque team once since 2000.

Madrid Universal presents you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs. Deportivo Alaves.

Critical rotations

The 2024-25 schedule has always been set to be one of the toughest in history, but it’s only now that it’s starting to pick up steam.

After a relatively easy start, Real Madrid now plays a match every three days on the calendar, which certainly has an impact on the players’ fitness.

So there is pressure on Carlo Ancelotti to rotate the squad a bit now and then. Tonight’s clash against Alaves seems perfectly set to be one of those nights where the manager shuffles his cards.

Later this week, Real Madrid will face Atletico Madrid in the derby. The match will take place at the Civitas Metropolitano and will be a rematch of the only league match The Blancos lost last season.

So the priority is next weekend’s game and tonight could be the night Ancelotti makes some big changes.

For starters, Arda Guler and Luka Modric could start alongside Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield, giving Federico Valverde some much-needed rest.

The question, however, is whether the manager will field four or three midfielders, especially given the lack of resources.

Vinicius Jr. is expected to return to the line-up after not starting last week, opening the door for Kylian Mbappe to get a day off. Much will depend on Endrick’s fitness and willingness to start, however.

The double injury fear

The situation of two players is a concern for Ancelotti and co. ahead of Tuesday’s match: Jude Bellingham and Dani Carvajal.

The first one is suffering from his shoulder, which he carries with him from last season’s injury. He had visible pain in his arm during the team’s last match and it has not yet been decided whether he will play against Alaves.

Bellingham is pushing to start in the evening and is prepared to play through the pain for the team. The final decision will be up to the manager who must consider not only the Englishman’s long-term fitness but also the upcoming derby.

Carvajal, meanwhile, requested a substitution after scoring the equaliser last weekend.

His injury does not appear to be serious, as the manager confirmed in his pre-match press conference, but he will not be available for selection later today, with the spotlight therefore falling on Lucas Vazquez, who will come on as a substitute.

A historical record

Real Madrid’s victory over Espanyol was a special occasion, as it was the night when the men in white completed a ‘perfect cycle’.

Considering that the last game Real Madrid lost in La Liga last season was against Atletico Madrid, they are now 38 games unbeaten in the league. That is a great achievement.

Tomorrow they will have the chance to extend their record beyond the perfect 38-game cycle and start a second cycle unbeaten, closing the gap to the historic record currently held by Barcelona.

The longest unbeaten run in La Liga currently belongs to the Catalans, who have gone 43 games unbeaten under Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde.

Should The Blancos to continue their unbeaten run in the upcoming matches, they will have the chance to Blaugranas include in The Classic. Tonight is the first of four steps that will take them to the Classical with the record intact.