Real Madrid will be looking to record their 11th straight win in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign at home to Cadiz on Sunday night.
Los Blancos are currently top of the table, eight points clear of second-placed Sevilla, while Cadiz occupy 18th position, two points behind 17th-placed Alaves ahead of the next set of La Liga fixtures.
Match preview
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Since being held by Osasuna in La Liga at the end of October, Real Madrid have been victorious in 10 straight matches in all competitions, including their last seven in the league, which has seen them open up a healthy advantage at the summit ahead of the winter break in Spain's top flight.
Indeed, a record of 10 wins, four draws and one defeat from 17 matches has allowed Carlo Ancelotti's side to collect 42 points, which has left them eight points clear of second-placed Sevilla, while they have a 13-point advantage over the reigning champions Atletico Madrid.
Los Blancos recorded a huge 2-0 victory over Atletico in the league last weekend, while they have also beaten Real Sociedad and Sevilla in recent weeks, and the capital giants will fancy their chances of overcoming Cadiz and Athletic Bilbao in their final two games before the winter break.
Real Madrid's excellent run of form also allowed them to claim first spot in Group D in the Champions League, and they have been paired with French giants Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16 stage of the competition.
The home team's preparations for this match have been interrupted by a COVID-19 outbreak in the camp, but it has seemingly been contained, and Los Blancos will take to the field this weekend looking for their 14th La Liga victory of what has been an impressive season to date.
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Cadiz were excellent on their return to the top flight last season, claiming 12th spot in the table, but it was always going to be a huge challenge for the club to repeat that success this term.
The Yellow Submarine have found it difficult to show consistency in the league this season, winning two, drawing seven and losing eight of their 17 matches to collect 13 points, which has left them in 18th spot in the table, two points behind 17th-placed Alaves, who have a game in hand.
Only Levante (zero) have won fewer matches in La Liga this season, but Cadiz will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Albacete in the Copa del Rey on Thursday night.
Alvaro Cervera's side also drew 1-1 against Granada in the league last weekend, but this game will be their final contest of the year, with their next fixture scheduled for January 3 against Sevilla.
Cadiz might be the underdogs heading into Sunday's contest, but they recorded a famous 1-0 victory at Bernabeu in the corresponding match last term courtesy of a goal from Anthony Lozano.
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Team News
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Real Madrid will be missing Rodrygo, Marcelo, Marco Asensio, Andriy Lunin and Gareth Bale due to positive coronavirus tests, while Dani Ceballos will be absent due to an ankle problem.
Luka Modric also tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, but the midfielder has since tested negative, and it is understood that he could yet be involved in the squad for this match.
Ancelotti is also sweating on the fitness of Dani Carvajal and Karim Benzema, and it is unlikely that the Italian will take any risks, so Lucas Vazquez and Luka Jovic could earn starts.
Eden Hazard is also in a strong position to feature in the final third of the field, with Rodrygo, Asensio and Bale all self-isolating following their positive tests.
As for Cadiz, Salvi Sanchez will miss the contest through suspension, while Jose Mari, Jon Ander Garrido and Isaac Carcelen are unavailable for selection due to injury.
Florin Andone scored the only goal of the match in Thursday's 1-0 win over Albacete in the Copa del Rey but is likely to drop down to the bench for this match, while the same can also be said for Alvaro Negredo.
Indeed, Lozano, who scored the winner at the Bernabeu last season, is likely to lead the attack on Sunday, while Alejandro Fernandez and Jens Jonsson should also return to the midfield.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Camavinga; Hazard, Jovic, Vinicius
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Akapo, Fali, Cala, Espino; Fernandez, Jonsson, Alarcon; Alejo, Lozano, Arzamendia
We say: Real Madrid 2-0 Cadiz
Real Madrid's preparations for this match have been impacted due to a coronavirus outbreak, but Ancelotti will still be able to send a strong XI onto the field, even if Carvajal and Benzema miss out. Cadiz have found it tough to win matches in La Liga this season, and we are expecting Real Madrid to have too much here.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Real Madrid win with a probability of 71.03%. A draw had a probability of 18.2% and a win for Cadiz had a probability of 10.74%.
The most likely scoreline for a Real Madrid win was 2-0 with a probability of 13.31%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (12.29%) and 3-0 (9.61%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.65%), while for a Cadiz win it was 0-1 (3.99%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 5.7% likelihood.
