Real Madrid will be looking to get back on track in La Liga when they host an out-of-form Girona side at the Bernabeu this Sunday afternoon.
Currently sitting second in the La Liga table, Real Madrid are trailing leaders Barcelona only on head-to-head results, while Girona are in 10th place, four points behind sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano in the race for European spots.
Real Madrid have 15 wins, six draws, and three losses from their 24 La Liga games this season, earning 51 points. Atlético Madrid is just a point behind in third, which makes the title race in Spain extremely tight. With little margin for error in the final stretch of the season, every game is crucial.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team will come into this match after a 3-1 victory over Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League knockout round, securing a 6-3 aggregate win to progress to the next stage. Real Madrid has also been drawn against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League and will face Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-finals next week, but they can’t afford to lose focus in the league.
After picking up just two points from their last three La Liga matches, with losses to Espanyol and draws against Atlético and Osasuna, Real Madrid urgently need a win on Sunday. At home, however, they’ve been solid this season, collecting 28 points from 11 matches.
On the other hand, Girona, who had a historic third-place finish last season, are struggling this time around. They are currently in 10th place with 31 points from 24 matches, having won nine, drawn four, and lost 11. Although they’re still just four points behind the sixth spot, Girona are in poor form, losing six of their last seven games across all competitions.
In La Liga, they’ve won just once in their last five matches, most recently losing 2-1 to Getafe. Now, they face a Real Madrid side eager to bounce back. Girona did manage a memorable 2-1 victory over Madrid at the Bernabeu in February 2019, but they’ve lost their last three league meetings with Los Blancos, conceding a total of 10 goals, including three in this season’s reverse fixture.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Real Madrid will be without Jude Bellingham for their next two La Liga games after the midfielder was suspended following his red card in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Osasuna.
Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao remain sidelined with serious knee injuries, but David Alaba, Lucas Vazquez, and Antonio Rudiger all made successful returns from injury against Manchester City in the Champions League.
Federico Valverde impressed at right-back in that match, but he’s expected to move back to midfield for Sunday’s game, with Vazquez likely to take his place in defense.
Dani Ceballos has been in excellent form recently and should continue in the starting XI ahead of Eduardo Camavinga.
For Girona, Abel Ruiz and Arnaut Danjuma are both doubtful after missing the Getafe match due to injury, and Yangel Herrera will be suspended after his red card in that same game.
Yaser Asprilla is set to fill in for Herrera in midfield, and there could be a spot in attack for Portu, whose mobility may be favored over Cristhian Stuani’s goal-scoring ability.
Bryan Gil should keep his place, and Daley Blind is expected to slot into the back three, with head coach Michel likely to set his team up in a 3-4-3 formation for the trip to Madrid.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
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
EXPERT PREDICTION
Real Madrid 3-0 Girona
Girona’s recent form has been a real letdown, and it's hard to imagine a scenario where Real Madrid drops points on Sunday. While Los Blancos may need to be patient, they should have more than enough quality to get back to winning ways in La Liga.
