Preview: Real Madrid vs Real Oviedo - prediction, team news, lineups

Real Madrid will look to bounce back from a difficult week when they host already-relegated Real Oviedo at the Bernabeu on Thursday evening in matchday 36 of La Liga.

The hosts are having a second successive trophyless season after Barcelona were confirmed as La Liga champions at their expense, while the visitors arrive in Madrid having already been condemned to Segunda Division football for next season.

Match preview

It has been a deeply disappointing campaign for Real Madrid, whose hopes of winning the La Liga title were emphatically extinguished following a 2-0 defeat to Barcelona - a result that confirmed the Catalan side as champions and left Alvaro Arbeloa’s side to reflect on another season without silverware.

That defeat to Barcelona extended a painful pattern of recent results against their fiercest rivals, with the Blaugrana having also beaten Madrid in January, and the latest loss will do little to lift the mood at a club accustomed to competing for major honours.

Real Madrid’s overall league record of 24 wins, five draws and six defeats tells the story of a side with genuine quality, yet one that has failed to sustain the consistency required to mount a serious title challenge across the full course of the campaign.

Their attacking output has been considerable, with 70 goals scored across the league season, though 33 conceded represents a defensive record that has let them down on too many occasions against the division’s better sides.

At the Bernabeu, Madrid have been a formidable proposition, winning 14 and drawing one of their 17 home fixtures with only two defeats.

Recent form across all competitions has been mixed, however, with two wins, one draw and two defeats from their last five matches, and Arbeloa will be determined to ensure his side responds to the Barcelona defeat with a commanding performance on home soil.

Real Oviedo arrive at the Bernabeu as a relegated side, their fate confirmed following a 1-1 draw between Rayo Vallecano and Girona that left them unable to escape the bottom three and condemned them to Segunda Division football next season.

It has been a torrid campaign for the Asturians, who sit 20th in the table with 29 points from six wins, 11 draws and 18 defeats, having scored only 26 goals and conceded 54 across the season.

Their away record has been equally difficult to read, with only two wins from 17 road fixtures alongside four draws and 11 defeats, making the trip to the Bernabeu one of the most daunting remaining assignments on their schedule.

Oviedo’s most recent outing ended in a goalless draw against Getafe at home, with two red cards - a disciplinary record that will further complicate Guillermo Almada’s preparations for Thursday.

The last direct meeting between the clubs ended in a 3-0 win for Madrid, and with the majority of the previous encounters between the sides dating back to the early 2000s, this remains a fixture in which the gulf in class has historically been significant.

With relegation already confirmed, Oviedo travel to Madrid with nothing to lose, and while an upset looks highly unlikely given the respective qualities of the two squads, Almada’s side may at least approach the occasion with a freedom that comes from having no pressure left to carry.

Real Madrid La Liga form:

LDWDWL

Real Madrid form (all competitions):

DLWDWL

Real Oviedo La Liga form:

WWDLLD

Team News

Real Madrid could be without Dean Huijsen, who is a doubt with physical discomfort ahead of Thursday’s fixture, while Dani Ceballos remains sidelined with a thigh injury.

Ferland Mendy is out with a ligament injury, while Dani Carvajal continues his recovery from a leg injury.

Federico Valverde is a doubt with a head injury, while Eder Militao and Arda Guler are both out with thigh injuries of their own.

Rodrygo remains a long-term absentee with a cruciate ligament injury, while Kylian Mbappe has returned to training after a hamstring problem, but his availability for Thursday remains to be seen.

Real Oviedo will be without Javi Lopez and Kwasi Sibo, both suspended for this fixture following their dismissals in the draw against Getafe.

Leander Dendoncker is doubtful with a muscle injury, while Jaime Vazquez is sidelined with a groin problem.

Eric Bailly is also unavailable after sustaining a broken nose in the opening 12 minutes of the Getafe match, adding further to the defensive concerns Almada must manage ahead of the trip to Madrid.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Courtois; Trent, Asencio, Rudiger, Garcia; Diaz, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Garcia, Vinicus

Real Oviedo possible starting lineup:

Escandell; Alhassane, Calvo, Costas, Vidal; Fernandez, Reina, Cazorla, Hassan; Vinas, Chaira

We say: Real Madrid 3-0 Real Oviedo

Real Madrid’s home record, attacking quality and desire to give their supporters something to cheer following a trophyless campaign make them overwhelming favourites here.

Oviedo may arrive with nothing to lose, but the gulf in class between these two sides should ensure a comfortable evening for the hosts at the Bernabeu.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.