Real Madrid will look to record their third straight La Liga win when they travel to capital rivals Getafe on Saturday afternoon.
Los Blancos sit down in fifth spot in the table after an underwhelming start to the 2017-18 campaign, but they would move to within four points of leaders Barcelona with all three points against 12th-placed Getafe.
Getafe
© Getty Images
Getafe were relegated to the second tier of Spanish football for the first time since 2004 when they finished 19th in La Liga at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.
El Geta returned at the first time of asking, however, after coming through the Segunda Division playoffs last season to earn a spot back in the top flight.
The Madrid club actually secured a top-10 finish on three occasions between 2005 and 2010, but finished 13th and 15th in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns respectively before dropping out of the big time.
Jose Bordalas's team have made a positive start to the 2017-18 campaign, however, collecting eight points from their seven matches to sit in 12th position in the table. They have recorded two wins, two draws and suffered three defeats.
Their first league win of the campaign came away at Leganes on September 8, before losing narrowly at home to Barcelona one week later. They then drew with Celta Vigo and beat Villarreal, before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Deportivo La Coruna before the international break.
Getafe have only taken three points from three home league games this season, but they lost by just the odd goal against both Sevilla and Barcelona. Real Madrid will be the strong favourites this weekend, but El Geta have shown plenty of positives in the early stages of the campaign.
Recent form: LWLDWL
Real Madrid
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Real Madrid have won three of their last four in the league, but a lacklustre start to the season means that Los Blancos are currently fifth in the table on 14 points – some seven points off the leaders Barcelona.
The Spanish champions could rise as high as second with all three points on Saturday, however, and they will enter the match off the back of a 2-0 win over Espanyol at the Bernabeu last time out.
Zinedine Zidane's side have dropped home points against Valencia, Levante and Real Betis this term, but they have been impressive on the road – beating Deportivo, Real Sociedad and Alaves to collect nine points from nine.
Los Blancos are also sitting pretty in the Champions League having won both of their group matches to date, and will be hoping that Barcelona drop their first league points of the season away to Atletico Madrid on Saturday night.
There is no question that Real Madrid have been off-colour in the early weeks of the La Liga season, but they will face Eibar, Girona and Las Palmas in their three matches after this one, and will be eyeing a push up the table.
Arguably, Real Madrid's next serious test in the league does not arrive until they travel to Atletico in the middle of next month, and they will expect to move closer to Barcelona in the latter stages of 2017.
Unlike Getafe, Real Madrid have had the bulk of their squad away on international duty since the start of the month, but the Madrid giants will still be confident of collecting all three points on Saturday afternoon.
Recent form: DDWLWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWWW
Team News
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Getafe are still without the services of Dani Pacheco, while Karim Yoda and Gaku Shibasaki are expected to miss out once again.
Jorge Molina should once again lead the home side's line, and there could also be a spot for Spanish midfielder Francisco Portillo after his appearance off the bench against Deportivo last time out.
As for Real Madrid, Dani Carvajal and Marcelo are still on the sidelines, meaning that 18-year-old Achraf Hakimi, who made his debut against Espanyol, should start at right-back once again.
Gareth Bale is also struggling with a calf problem, while the match is expected to come too soon for Karim Benzema, who is in the latter stages recovering from a hamstring injury. As a result, Isco and Marco Asensio should join Cristiano Ronaldo in the final third once again.
Keylor Navas is also struggling with a hamstring problem that he suffered while representing Costa Rica, which could see Kiko Casilla come into the XI between the sticks.
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Guaita; Suarez, Dakonam, Cala, Antunes; Jimenez, Bergara, Arambarri, N'Diaye, Portillo; Molina
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Casilla; Achraf, Ramos, Varane, Nacho; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Ronaldo, Isco, Asensio
Head To Head
Real Madrid have won each of the last seven La Liga meetings between the two teams – including a 5-1 victory on their last visit to El Geta in April 2016.
Los Blancos have actually won on their last three league visits to the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, but Getafe recorded a 2-1 win when they welcomed Real Madrid during the 2012-13 campaign.
We say: Getafe 0-2 Real Madrid
Both Sevilla and Barcelona have struggled away to Getafe this season, and Saturday will not be a walk in the park for the Spanish champions. That said, we expect Real Madrid to have enough quality to secure all three points.
