Real Madrid will be aiming to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they welcome relegation-threatened Getafe to Bernabeu on Saturday evening.
Los Blancos are currently third in the table, 14 points behind leaders Barcelona with five games left, while Getafe occupy 18th, level on points with 17th-placed Valencia.
Match preview
© Reuters
Real Madrid will enter this weekend's contest off the back of a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night; Vinicius Junior sent the hosts ahead at Bernabeu, before Kevin De Bruyne came up with a leveller for the English champions in the second half.
The tie is therefore delicately poised ahead of the reverse match in Manchester, and Real Madrid are looking to make it a double late in the season, having lifted the Copa del Rey last weekend by beating Osasuna.
Carlo Ancelotti's side will not be retaining the La Liga title this season, though, as they sit 14 points behind leaders Barcelona with five games left. Should Real Madrid fail to win this game, the capital giants would be mathematically out of the title race with four games left.
Los Blancos were last in league action against Real Sociedad on May 2, suffering a 2-0 loss to the Basque side, and they have actually been beaten in four of their last eight games in Spain's top flight.
Real Madrid's main focus will undoubtedly be on next week's clash with Man City at the Etihad Stadium, but they will be looking to make it a double over Getafe this season, having recorded a 1-0 victory when the two teams locked horns for the reverse match last October.
© Reuters
Getafe, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a morale-boosting 1-0 win over Celta Vigo, with Enes Unal's third-minute penalty securing all three points for the hosts.
Jose Bordalas's side remain in relegation trouble, though, sitting 18th in the table, level on points with 17th-placed Getafe heading into the next set of fixtures in Spain's top flight.
There are only two points between Getafe in 18th and Almeria in 14th, and it will be fascinating to see how the relegation battle plays out in the final stages of the campaign.
The Deep Blue Ones have only played outside of Spain's top flight for one season since 2004, so it would be a surprise to see them drop into the Segunda Division for the 2023-24 campaign.
Getafe have only won two of their 16 away league matches this season, picking up 11 points on their travels, while Real Madrid have the second-best home record in the division, claiming 37 points from 16 matches.
Team News
© Reuters
Real Madrid have Ferland Mendy back in their squad after the defender recovered from a calf injury, but Dani Carvajal is suspended following the red card that he picked up against Real Sociedad in the league last time out.
Meanwhile, Karim Benzema, Rodrygo and David Alaba have been rested for the match.
Los Blancos are currently battling Atletico for second position, but there is every chance that Ancelotti could make nine or 10 changes from the team that took to the field for the first whistle against Man City last time out.
The Italian will want to keep his key players fresh for what is certain to be a tough game in Manchester, so the likes of Jesus Vallejo, Alvaro Odriozola, Dani Ceballos, Mariano Diaz, Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio could be given opportunities to impress from the first whistle.
As for Getafe, Mauro Arambarri and Gonzalo Villar will miss out through injury, while the visitors will be without two key players through suspension.
Indeed, Unal and Damian Suarez both picked up milestone yellow cards in the 1-0 win over Celta last time out, which will rule the duo out of this contest.
Arambarri's absence, which is due to the injury that he suffered against Celta, should open the door for Angel Algobia to start, while Borja Mayoral could come in for Unal at centre-forward.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Vallejo, Nacho, Odriozola; Valverde, Tchouameni, Ceballos; Asensio, Mariano, Hazard
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Angileri, Dakonam, Mitrovic, Alvarez; Iglesias, Maksimovic, Algobia; Alena, Mayoral, Mata
We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Getafe
A full-strength Real Madrid would be the big favourites here, but there are expected to be wholesale changes, which certainly gives Getafe a bigger chance to pick up a positive result. It would not be a surprise to see the points shared, but Los Blancos should ultimately have enough quality to secure all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
