Real Madrid will be looking to return to winning ways in the league when they host Getafe on Monday evening.
Real Madrid will look to keep the pressure on league leaders Barcelona by securing all three points against Getafe at home on Monday. With the Catalan giants winning against Villarreal, Los Blancos can’t afford to slip up.
The home team are second on the points table with 60 points in their 25 matches, thanks to 19 wins, three draws and as many defeats. While Barcelona are now four points clear, the team in white have a game in hand. So they will be looking to reduce the gap to one point.
While lost to Osasuna (1-2) in their last league outing, Alvaro Arbeloa’s team returned to winning ways against Benfica in the Champions League. Now, they will look to build on that result against Getafe, who are in the bottom half of the points table.
The visitors are 13th on the table with 29 points in their 25 outings. They have won eight, drawn five and lost 12 games so far. After consecutive wins over Deportivo Alaves and Villarreal, Getafe are heading into this fixture on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Sevilla.
Since they are only five points clear of the drop zone, the visitors can’t really afford to relax. They will certainly be looking to put up a much-improved performance against title contenders Real Madrid.
The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
Alvaro Arbeloa will be without quite a few of his first-team stars. Kylian Mbappe (knee) and Raul Asensio (neck) have recently joined Eder Militao (hamstring), Jude Bellingham (hamstring), Dani Ceballos (calf) and Dean Huijsen (calf) on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Rodrygo remains a major doubt because of a hamstring issue.
Real Madrid will line up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, where Thibaut Courtois will be in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alvaro Carreras will be the full-backs for the home team, while David Alaba could partner Antonio Rudiger in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Aurelien Tchouameni will take up the holding role, and he will receive significant support from Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga. The trio will look to control the tempo of the game.
Arda Guler will take up the number ten role behind the attacking duo of Gonzalo Garcia and Vinicius Junior.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Alaba, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Guler; G Garcia, Vinicius
Getafe
The visitors will be without the services of Davinchi (knee) and Abu Kamara (muscle). Djene Dakonam is suspended for this fixture following a red card against Sevilla.
The trio of Abdel Abqar (muscle), Borja Mayoral (knee) and Juanmi (muscle) will undergo a late fitness test to determine their availability.
Getafe will line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, where David Soria will take between the sticks. In the heart of the defence, Juan Iglesias will start alongside Domingos Duarte and Zaid Romero.
The back three will look to keep things tight at the back, and they will receive significant support from Kiko Femenía and Diego Rico, who will feature as wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Luis Milla will pair up with Mauro Arambarri. The duo will look to ensure Madrid midfielders do not run the show. Mario Martin will take up the number ten role behind the attacking duo of Martin Satriano and Luis Vazquez.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Soria; Iglesias, Duarte, Romero; Femenia, Milla, Arambarri, Rico; Martin; Satriano, Vazquez
Key Stats
- Los Blancos have won 32 out of their last 42 matches against Getafe, who have only claimed six wins in that period.
- Real Madrid have only lost one out of their last six games in all competitions. But that defeat came at the hands of Osasuna last time out in the league.
- After a run of four games without a defeat (two wins, two draws), Getafe suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sevilla in their last league outing.
- Alvaro Arbeloa’s team have scored in each of their last 18 games in all competitions. They last failed to bag a goal against Celta Vigo back in December.
- Getafe have lost each of their last eight games against Real Madrid, scoring just once in those meetings.
Player to Watch
Gonzalo Garcia
Injury to Kylian Mbappe is a massive blow for the team in white, as they will be playing without their highest goal scorer for a few weeks. However, they still have enough quality in their ranks. Vinicius Junior, who has been in fine form, will look to continue his goal-scoring streak, while Gonzalo Garcia will look to make the most out of the opportunities that will come his way.
The 21-year-old striker has shown a lot of promise every time he has been handed a chance. In just over 1,000 minutes of first-team action, Garcia has six goals and two assists. With Mbappe unavailable, the Spanish youth international will get to play in his preferred position, and it won’t be much of a surprise if he adds to his tally.
Prediction
Real Madrid 3-1 Getafe
Real Madrid will head into this fixture knowing there is little margin for error as they try to keep pace with the leaders. Despite their injury concerns, the hosts still possess enough quality and control in midfield to dictate proceedings, especially against a Getafe side that tends to struggle against top opposition.
The visitors are likely to make things difficult with their compact shape and physical approach, but sustaining that resistance for 90 minutes at the Bernabeu will be a tough ask. If Madrid can be patient and efficient in the final third, they should have enough to secure a comfortable win and stay firmly in the title race.
The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home team.