Real Madrid will be aiming to build on their impressive win over Osasuna before the international break when they resume their domestic campaign with a clash against Leganes on Sunday evening.
Los Blancos thumped Osasuna 4-0 last time out to move onto 27 points in the La Liga table, which has left them second, six points behind leaders Barcelona with a game in hand, while 14th-placed Leganes beat Sevilla 1-0 last time out.
Match preview
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Leganes will be bidding to create history on Sunday evening, with El Lega looking to beat Real Madrid for the first time in La Liga, so it could be a famous night against the reigning Spanish and European champions.
The team have only ever won two matches against Real Madrid, with both of those victories coming in the Copa del Rey, but the last two La Liga meetings between the two sides at Estadio Municipal de Butarque have finished all square, including a 2-2 draw in their last clash back in July 2020.
Borja Jimenez's side are the reigning Segunda Division champions, with the Madrid outfit back at this level for the first time since 2019-20, and they have had a solid start to the campaign, boasting a record of three wins, five draws and five defeats from 13 matches to collect 14 points, which has left them 14th in the table.
Leganes have actually won three of their last four matches in all competitions, including a 1-0 success over Sevilla before the international break, with Miguel de la Fuente's late penalty proving to be the difference between the two sides.
El Lega have been solid at home this season, picking up 10 points from their six matches, while they have only conceded four times in front of their own fans, which is another statistic that should hand them confidence ahead of this clash.
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Real Madrid, meanwhile, were 4-0 winners over Osasuna before the international break, with Vinicius Junior scoring a hat-trick, while Jude Bellingham also registered his first goal of the campaign.
The victory was a hugely important one considering that Los Blancos entered the clash off the back of successive losses to Barcelona and AC Milan in front of their own supporters, and they will now be eyeing another victory in La Liga ahead of a huge Champions League fixture away to Liverpool next week.
Real Madrid are second in the La Liga table, boasting a record of eight wins, three draws and one defeat from 12 matches to collect 27 points, which has left them six points behind leaders Barcelona, who have played a game more.
Los Blancos have struggled to find their rhythm during the opening months of the 2024-25 campaign, but they are still in a solid position in La Liga, with Real Sociedad doing them a huge favour by beating Barcelona last time out.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have work to do in the Champions League, though, having lost two of their four games in the league phase, with a total of six points leaving them down in 18th position in the overall table.
Team News
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Leganes will be without the services of Renato Tapia and Enric Franquesa through injury, so there will be at least two changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Sevilla last time out, while Dani Raba is also a doubt with a hamstring problem.
Javi Hernandez for Franquesa should be a straight swap at left-back, while Tapia's absence is likely to open the door for Julian Chicco to come into the XI in central midfield.
De la Fuente scored his first goal of the season from the penalty spot against Sevilla, and the 25-year-old is again expected to lead the line on Sunday, with Sebastien Haller likely to be among the substitutes.
As for Real Madrid, Lucas Vazquez, Rodrygo, Eder Militao, Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba are all on the sidelines, but Thibaut Courtois should be back between the sticks after recovering from a muscular problem.
Federico Valverde is expected to operate as a right-back this weekend, while there will be a spot in the middle of the defence for Raul Asencio, who made his debut for the club off the bench against Osasuna.
Brahim Diaz and Luka Modric could both also come into the XI on Sunday, but Bellingham, Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe are all fit, and the trio will be in the starting side for the European and Spanish champions here.
Leganes possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Alti, Gonzalez, Nastasic, Hernandez; Chicco, Cisse; Cruz, Brasanac, El Haddadi; De la Fuente
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Modric, Camavinga, Bellingham; Diaz, Mbappe, Vinicius
We say: Leganes 1-2 Real Madrid
Leganes are a threat to Real Madrid, and we are expecting Ancelotti's side to have to suffer during stages of this contest. However, even with their injury issues, there is more than enough quality in the Real Madrid side to triumph on Sunday, and we are backing the visitors to navigate their way to all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
