Spanish champions Real Madrid will be bidding to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome an out-of-form Girona outfit to Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon.
Los Blancos currently sit second in the La Liga table, behind leaders Barcelona on the head-to-head record, while Girona occupy 10th, four points behind sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano in the race for Europe.
Match preview
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Real Madrid have a record of 15 wins, six draws and three defeats from their 24 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 51 points leaving them second, only behind leaders Barcelona on the head-to-head record.
Atletico Madrid in third are just a point behind the top two, meanwhile, so it is a fascinating title race in Spain's top flight, and the room for error in the final months of the campaign is expected to be small.
Carlo Ancelotti's side will enter this match off the back of a 3-1 win over Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League knockout round playoff, which secured their spot in the next stage with a 6-3 aggregate success.
Real Madrid have been drawn against Atletico in the Champions League, while they will take on Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final next week, but Los Blancos simply cannot afford to take their eye off the ball in the league.
Only two points have been returned from their last three La Liga fixtures, losing to Espanyol before drawing with Atletico and Osasuna, demonstrating the importance of returning to winning ways on Sunday afternoon.
Real Madrid have been strong at home in the league this season, picking up 28 points from 11 matches, and they will be welcoming a Girona outfit that have only 12 points to show from 12 games on their travels in 2024-25.
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Girona had a historic 2023-24 campaign, finishing third in La Liga to secure a spot in this season's Champions League, but it has been more difficult for the Catalan outfit this term.
Indeed, the White and Reds currently sit in 10th spot in the table, boasting 31 points from their 24 matches courtesy of a record of nine wins, four draws and 11 defeats, but they are only four points off sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano.
A top-six spot this term would still be considered an excellent achievement for a team in just their fifth campaign at this level, but Michel's side are currently in disappointing form, losing six of their last seven matches in all competitions.
In La Liga, Girona have one win and four defeats from their last five matches, including a 2-1 reverse to Getafe last time out, and they will now be taking on a Real Madrid outfit in desperate need of all three points.
The Catalan team recorded a famous 2-1 victory over Real Madrid at Bernabeu in February 2019, but they have lost their last three league fixtures with Los Blancos, conceding 10 times in the process, including three in the reverse game earlier this term.
Team News
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Real Madrid will be without the services of Jude Bellingham for their next two La Liga matches, with the midfielder serving a suspension following his red card in the 1-1 draw with Osasuna last weekend.
Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao remain long-term absentees with serious knee injuries, but David Alaba, Lucas Vazquez and Antonio Rudiger all returned from recent problems against Man City in the Champions League.
Federico Valverde excelled at right-back once again against Man City, but he is likely to find himself back in midfield on Sunday, with Vazquez expected to come back into the defence for the La Liga affair.
Dani Ceballos's recent form has been excellent, meanwhile, and he is again likely to be given the nod over Eduardo Camavinga.
As for Girona, Abel Ruiz and Arnaut Danjuma are doubts due to the issues which forced them to miss out against Getafe, while Yangel Herrera is suspended following his red card in the team's last match.
Yaser Asprilla is expected to be the player to benefit from Herrera's absence in terms of a spot in the XI, while there may also be a position in the final third of the field for Portu, with his mobility potentially preferred to Cristhian Stuani's bigger goal threat.
Bryan Gil should retain his spot, while there is also likely to be a position in the back three for Daley Blind, with head coach Michel set to line his team up in a 3-4-3 formation on Sunday afternoon.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Ceballos; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; D Lopez, Krejci, Blind; A Martinez, Romeu, Asprilla, Gutierrez; Gil, Portu, Tsyhankov
We say: Real Madrid 2-0 Girona
Girona's recent form has been hugely disappointing, and we are struggling to see a scenario that leads to Real Madrid dropping points on Sunday afternoon; Los Blancos may need to be patient, but they should have more than enough to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
