One of the biggest fixtures on the La Liga calendar will take place at Bernabeu on Sunday evening, as division leaders Real Madrid welcome third-placed Sevilla.
Real Madrid are currently one point clear of second-placed Real Sociedad at the summit, while Sevilla are only two points behind Carlo Ancelotti's side ahead of this weekend's mouthwatering contest.
Match preview
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Real Madrid have had their problems this season, but it does appear that they will be the team to beat in La Liga this season, and Ancelotti's side currently sit top of the table, managing to move above Real Sociedad courtesy of an impressive 4-1 victory away to Granada last weekend.
Los Blancos have now won each of their last three league matches, while they have picked up four victories from their last five - remaining unbeaten in the process - and another success on Sunday would be a real statement of intent from the capital giants ahead of a huge run of matches.
Indeed, Real Madrid's next three in the league after this one are against Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, while they will face Inter Milan in the Champions League on December 7 to determine which side tops Group D, with both teams already advancing to the round of 16.
Ancelotti's outfit were in European action on Wednesday evening, recording a 3-0 victory over Sheriff Tiraspol courtesy of goals from David Alaba, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema.
Real Madrid also have an impressive recent record against Sevilla, winning four of the last five meetings between the two sides, although the corresponding match last term ended in a 2-2 draw.
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Sevilla, meanwhile, were also in Champions League action during the week, recording a 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg, which has left them in third position in Group G and facing a battle to secure one of the top two positions heading into the final matchday in early December.
Julen Lopetegui's side were held to a 2-2 draw by Alaves at Estadio Ramon last weekend but are unbeaten in their last six league games, recording four victories in the process.
Indeed, a record of eight wins, four draws and one defeat from 13 matches has seen them collect 28 points to sit third in the table, one point behind second-placed Real Sociedad and two behind Real Madrid.
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are both having their issues this season, so it is not impossible to imagine Sevilla being Real Madrid's main title challengers, which is another indication of the importance of this weekend's contest in the Spanish capital.
Los Nervionenses have picked up seven points from their last three away matches in Spain's top flight but have not beaten Real Madrid in La Liga at Bernabeu since December 2008.
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Team News
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Real Madrid will again be without the services of Dani Ceballos and Gareth Bale for this weekend's contest, but Federico Valverde could be involved, having recovered from a muscular issue.
Los Blancos are also sweating on the fitness of Alaba, who is struggling with a knee injury, which could mean that Nacho starts in the middle of the defence alongside Eder Militao.
Vinicius Junior and Benzema are again certain to feature in the final third of the field, while Rodrygo should hold off competition from Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez to start in attack.
Eden Hazard has been ruled out of the contest for the hosts, as he recovers from a stomach illness.
As for Sevilla, Youssef En-Nesyri and Jesus Navas will both definitely miss the contest through injury, while Suso and Erik Lamela remain doubts for the visitors.
Lamela is believed to have a better chance than Suso of featuring at Bernabeu, though, and the Argentine could start alongside Rafa Mir and Lucas Ocampos in the final third of the field.
Diego Carlos was replaced in the latter stages of the win over Wolfsburg after suffering a knock, but the centre-back is expected to be passed fit for the contest with the league leaders.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Nacho, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Bounou; Montiel, Kounde, Carlos, Acuna; Rakitic, Fernando, Jordan; Lamela, Mir, Ocampos
We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Sevilla
This has all of the makings of a very entertaining game of football, and it is a tough one to call. Sevilla will believe that they are more than capable of claiming at least a point at Bernabeu, but we just have a feeling that Real Madrid will do enough to secure a hugely important three points on home soil.
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 59.24%. A draw had a probability of 23.7% and a win for Sevilla had a probability of 17.08%.
The most likely scoreline for a Real Madrid win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.03%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.98%) and 2-1 (9.48%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.1%), while for a Sevilla win it was 0-1 (6.5%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.5% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a 2-1 win for Real Madrid in this match and our data analysis correctly predicted the win for Real Madrid.
