Real Madrid will look to get back to winning ways when they host Getafe CF at the Santiago Bernabeu in matchday 27 of the La Liga.
Real Madrid are coming off a shock 1-0 loss to Espanyol, while Getafe CF won their 9th game of the season against Deportivo de La Coruna. As things stand, Real are third on the table with 51 points to their name, 10 points behind second placed Atletico Madrid and only a point ahead of Valencia.
Getafe on the other hand, are 10th with 36 points to their name, 1 point behind Real Betis and a point ahead of Celta Vigo. In the reverse fixture at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, Real Madrid emerged victorious with a narrow 1-2 scoreline thanks to a late Cristiano Ronaldo goal.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
Marcelo and Jesus Vallejo returned to training with the rest of squad, but they are unlikely to feature in the starting XI unless deemed completely fit. Marcelo will likely feature at some point during the game, but Jesus Vallejo’s involvement is unlikely.
After Tuesday’s loss to Espanyol, Zidane is unlikely to experiment too much with his squad and will likely deploy the strongest starting XI available to him. Nacho is likely to retain his spot at leftback, with Dani Carvajal coming in to replace Achraf Hakimi on the right flank.
Casemiro will likely replace Marcos Llorente and set up shop alongside Mateo Kovacic in the center of midfield. Gareth Bale is expected to move to the more familiar left wing, with Lucas Vazquez moving to the right and lastly, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema are almost certain to lead the line together for Real Madrid in this match.
Probable Starting XI(4-4-2): Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos; Raphael Varane, Nacho Fernandez; Lucas Vazquez, Mateo Kovacic, Casemiro, Gareth Bale; Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo
Getafe CF
Jose Bordalas is expected to make a few changes to the side that started in Wednesday’s 3-0 victory. Amath Ndiaye picked up a yellow card in his last game and is suspended for this tie. Vicente Guaita is expected to return to the starting XI after missing the previous game with injury.
Midfielder Markel Bergara is also expected to miss out due to injury. In defence, Vitorino Antunes and Damian Suarez are expected to retain their positions at left and right back respectively, with Bruno Gonzalez and Djene Dakonam starting in center of defence.
Sergio Mora is expected to be replaced by Faycal Fajr in midfield, with Mauro Arambarri retaining his place in midfield. Francisco Portillo is expected to start on the right flank, with Gaku Shibasaki replacing the suspended Ndiaye on the left and Angel Rodriguez and Jorge Molina are both expected to retain their positions upfront.
Probable Starting XI(4-4-2): Vicente Guaita; Damian Suarez; Djene, Bruno Gonzalez, Vitorino Antunes; Francisco Portillo, Faycal Fajr, Mauro Arambarri, Gaku Shibasaki; Angel Rodriguez, Jorge Molina
Key Statistics
- Real Madrid have won their last 8 home matches against Getafe CF in all competitions.
- Real Madrid have scored a minimum of 4 goals in their last 6 games against Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu.
- Real Madrid are undefeated in 33 of their last 37 La Liga matches at the Santiago Bernabeu.
- Getafe CF have only won 1 La Liga match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
- In 12 Liga games at the Bernabeu, Getafe have scored 11 goals against Real Madrid and conceded 36.
Player To Watch
Real Madrid: Gareth Bale
The Champions really need to make a statement in front of their home fans at the Bernabeu, but perhaps none more so than Gareth Bale. The Welshman had a miserable outing at center forward on Tuesday and is in very real danger of losing him place to Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez. He really needs to put in a solid shift today to prove that his last performance was just a one-off.
Prediction
Real Madrid 2-1 Getafe CF
We predict a hard fought victory for Real Madrid. Jose Bordalas’s men have managed to get results against the bigger sides this season and they will certainly fancy their chances against an extremely erratic and inconsistent Real Madrid side.
However, Real Madrid are likely to field a much stronger side and will be desperate to get back to winning ways. They still are in very real danger of losing third place to Valencia and that alone should be enough motivation for the reigning champions to get a win at all costs.