Second-placed Real Madrid will look to maintain the pressure on league leaders Barcelona with a win against Leganes away from home.
Real Madrid will be looking for their ninth league win when they hit the road to square up against 14th-placed CD Leganes, who have been inconsistent for most parts of the new season.
The home team only have 14 points in their 13 league outings with three wins, five draws and five defeats. While their overall form has not been that great, they did win three out of their last four games across competitions.
Prior to the international break, Leganes clinched a 1-0 win over Sevilla. They were resilient at the back and got the result they wanted. While Los Blancos will present a completely different challenge, the home team will be confident of getting something out of the game.
Real Madrid have not been at their best since the start of the campaign. However, they are still winning the games and are in the thick of things when it comes to the race for the league title.
They might be six points behind leaders Barcelona, but they do have a game in hand. While they did go through a rough patch with defeats to the Catalan giants and AC Milan, Real Madrid returned to winning ways against Osasuna and they will now be looking to build on that. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
CD Leganes
The home team will be without the services of Renato Tapia and Enric Franquesa. Meanwhile, Dani Raba’s availability is also a doubt for this fixture. Leganes will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where Marko Dmitrovic will be in goal.
Adria Altimira and Javi Hernandez will be the full-backs, while Sergio Gonzalez and Matija Nastasic will feature in the heart of the defence. They will look to keep things tight at the back and they will receive some support from Seydouba Cisse and Julian Chicco, who will form the double pivot in front of them.
The duo will look to shield the back line and provide their attackers with a stable base. Juan Cruz and Munir El Haddadi will feature on the flanks. They will add width to their attacks while Darko Brasanac will be the attacking midfielder behind Miguel de la Fuente who will lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dmitrovic; Alti, Gonzalez, Nastasic, Hernandez; Chicco, Cisse; Cruz, Brasanac, El Haddadi; De la Fuente
Real Madrid
Things have only gone from bad to worse for Real Madrid as Rodrygo Goes, Eder Militao and Lucas Vazquez have joined Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba on the sidelines. There is some positive for Carlo Ancelotti as his preferred shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois has regained full fitness and should start this fixture.
Los Blancos will stick to the 4-3-3 formation against CD Leganes. Courtois will be in goal and with both right-backs out injured, Federico Valverde should take up that role. Ferland Mendy will continue at the left-back slot with academy star Raul Asencio pairing up with Antonio Rudiger in the heart of the defence.
Eduardo Camavinga will be the defensive midfielder, with Luka Modric and Jude Bellingham in his support. The trio will try to ensure that they dominate the ball. Brahim Diaz will take up the right flank while Vinicius Junior should continue on the left. Summer signing Kylian Mbappe will continue to lead the line for Real Madrid against Leganes.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Modric, Camavinga, Bellingham; Diaz, Mbappe, Vinicius
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have won 10 out of their 14 matches against Leganes who have only won two of those games.
- Carlo Ancelotti’s team are winless in their last three away matches against Leganes in all competitions. They have lost one of those fixtures.
- Leganes have never won against the team in white in La Liga. They only have two wins and both have come in the Copa del Rey.
- The home team haven’t won any of their last eight league games against Madrid.
- Leganes have been unbeaten in their last three home games in the league having won two.
Player to Watch
Brahim Diaz
While Diaz was not a regular starter last season, he surely had a massive impact on their success. He has struggled with injuries this time around and only has three goal contributions in just over 250 minutes of first-team action spread across nine outings.
With Rodrygo out injured, the Moroccan international could have an extended run in the team. Brahim Diaz will be looking to make a mark with an impressive performance over the next weeks.
Prediction
CD Leganes 0-3 Real Madrid
Leganes did secure a win in their last outing prior to the international break, and they will be confident of getting something out of this game against Real Madrid. While Los Blancos have quite a few injuries to deal with, they still have a lot of quality in their squad and that can help them get the right result. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for the team in white.