Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale. (Photo : Getty Images)
Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid (11-3-4, 37 points) continues to struggle by the club's standards in the 2015-2016 La Liga season and will look to bounce back from its disappointing previous game as it takes on middling squad Deportivo La Coruna (6-3-9, 27 points) at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on January 9th, Saturday.
Real settled for a 2-2 draw with Valencia in their most recent game at the Mestalla Stadium on Sunday even as they went a man down late in the second half of the match, as per The Guardian.
French striker Karim Benzema opened the scoring at the 16th-minute mark with a superb play with teammates Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale up front. However, Valencia midfielder Dani Parejo was able to equalize the count right before halftime to keep Los Che in the match.
After losing Mateo Kovacic in the 68th with a straight red card, Bale headed another goal at the 82nd to make it 2-1 for Rafa Benitez's side, but striker Paco Alcacer leveled it again just a minute later for the final count.
Meanwhile, Deportivo fell to Villarreal, 1-2, at the Estadio Municipal de Riazor also on Sunday, as reported by ESPN.
Villarreal's midfielder Bruno Soriano scored a double at the 36th minute and in injury time to sandwich Deportivo winger Luis Alberto's goal at the 48th.
It was the first loss of Víctor Sánchez's team in their last six games, making them settle in the seventh spot of the overall standings.
The predicted result is a 3-1 triumph for Real Madrid. Los Blancos are keen on redeeming the season up to expectations in Spain's capital city or else Benitez's head may be at risk moving forward.
Real Madrid starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Navas; Danilo, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Kroos, Rodriguez; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo
Deportivo La Coruna starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Lux; Juanfran, Arribas, Sidnei, Navarro; Bergantinos, Mosquera; Fede, Alberto, Fajr; Lucas
