Real Madrid will continue their pursuit of the top two in La Liga when they welcome Eduardo Berizzo's Europe-chasing Celta Vigo to the Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon.
Los Blancos recovered from their home defeat to Atletico Madrid last weekend by beating Levante on Wednesday, but they will once again expect to be 12 points behind the leaders Barcelona when kickoff rolls around - with the Catalan side playing their game in hand against Rayo Vallecano on Thursday night.
Real Madrid
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It appeared to be a perfect fit when Zinedine Zidane was appointed head coach of the Spanish giants at the start of 2016. Indeed, the Frenchman must have wondered what all the fuss was about after starting his tenure with a 5-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.
Los Blancos have been largely impressive under the Frenchman despite a couple of wobbles on the road, but a 1-0 defeat at home to Atletico Madrid last weekend all but ended their title hopes for another season.
As it stands, Real Madrid are third in La Liga - four points behind second-placed Atletico and nine points from the leaders Barcelona, who face Rayo on Thursday night. Bar a shock result, Los Blancos will once again be 12 points off the summit entering this match and it seems almost impossible to claw back the lost ground.
It is not as if Real Madrid have had a disastrous campaign - they have only lost four of their 27 league matches and recorded 17 wins in the process. They are also the highest scorers (74) in Spain's top flight this term, but it does appear that the capital giants will have to watch Barcelona lift the top prize once again.
Real Madrid's cause has not exactly been helped by talk of player unrest, and it is widely thought that Cristiano Ronaldo will seek pastures new at the end of the season. The Champions League could be the saving grace for Los Blancos, however, and they are on the verge of the quarter-finals after recording a 2-0 win over Roma in the first leg of their last-16 clash last month.
Real Madrid's next league game is away to Las Palmas next weekend, before they welcome Sevilla to the Bernabeu on March 20. By that point, Zidane will expect to have led his team into the next round of the Champions League and then comes the small matter of a trip to Barcelona at the start of April.
Recent form: WWWDLW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWDLW
Celta Vigo
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All eyes will be on Real Madrid on Saturday, but Celta will travel to the Bernabeu off the back of a three-game unbeaten run and with their sights set on a European finish this season. Indeed, the Sky Blues currently sit sixth in the table and victory in the capital would move them above Sevilla onto 45 points.
Twelve wins have arrived from Celta's 27 league games this season, but they have lost nine times, which is the same number as Valencia. What's more, Celta have the strange scenario of having conceded more goals (44) than they have scored (39) in the league this season.
Nevertheless, an impressive campaign to date has left them in the running for a Europa League finish and they have won two of their last three in the league - drawing the other against fourth-placed Villarreal during the week. Berizzo's side also have some nice fixtures coming up and a strong run of form could well see them close the gap on the top four.
Celta have not finished higher than eighth - which occurred last season - since the 2005-06 campaign, when they ended the term in sixth position. They returned to La Liga after a five-year absence in 2012 and have posted top-half finishes in each of their last two seasons.
Reaching the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey this season also represents their best run in that competition since they made the final in 2001 and there is no question that this is a team capable of causing Real Madrid problems. The pressure is off Celta and all on Real Madrid, which could well play into their hands.
Recent form: LDLWWD
Recent form (all competitions): DDLWWD
Team News
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Gareth Bale is in line to start for Real Madrid after returning to training following a calf problem. The Welshman's fitness has come at a vital time for Los Blancos, who could be without Karim Benzema for the next month.
Marcelo is also still struggling with a calf problem, but Isco and Luka Modric are both expected to return to the starting team, while Sergio Ramos should also come back into the squad.
Borja Mayoral's impressive display against Levante might be enough to keep his spot in the team, but it seems more likely that Ronaldo will be joined in the final third by Bale and James Rodriguez.
As for Celta, Berizzo has no fresh injury concerns from the draw with Villarreal last time out.
Nolito has had no adverse effects to the hamstring injury that kept him on the sidelines for two months, which will mean another start for the Spanish international in the final third.
The only change could come in midfield, where Nemanja Radoja is pushing for a spot ahead of Marcelo Diaz.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Danilo; Modric, Kroos, Isco; James, Ronaldo, Bale
Celta possible starting lineup:
Alvarez; Jonny, Gomez, Cabral, Mallo; Diaz, Wass; Nolito, Orellana, Aspas; Guidetti
Head To Head
Real Madrid have won four of the last five meetings between the two teams - including a 3-1 victory when the Spanish giants travelled to Vigo earlier this season.
Celta's last win over Real Madrid came on home soil in May 2014, but they have lost each of their last three with Los Blancos and were beaten 3-0 in the corresponding league match last season, when Ronaldo hit a hat-trick. Celta's last Bernabeu victory (2-1) in the league was during the 2006-07 season.
We say: Real Madrid 3-1 Celta
Anything other than a Real Madrid win this weekend would raise more questions about the team and there is no doubt that Celta have the credentials needed to cause problems at the Bernabeu.
Zidane should be able to recall some key players on Saturday, however, and we are backing Los Blancos to continue their pursuit of the top two with all three points.
Matt Law
