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Real Madrid logo
La Liga
Sep 19, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Granada logo

1-0

Benzema (55')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Preview: Real Madrid vs. Granada

Sports Mole previews the La Liga clash between Real Madrid and Granada at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid will be looking for their third straight win in La Liga when they host Granada in the Spanish top flight on Saturday.

Rafael Benitez's side return to domestic action following their first outing in the Champions League, while Granada will be hoping to maintain an unbeaten record away from home.


Real Madrid

Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his second goal during the UEFA Champions League group A football match Real Madrid CF vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on September 15, 2015© Getty Images

Real Madrid come into this match off the back of a couple of emphatic wins, having thrashed Espanyol in the league last weekend before cruising to a 4-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Having shared a goalless draw with Sporting Gijon on the opening day of the season, Rafael Benitez's side are yet to concede in a competitive match this season ahead of the visit of Granada on Saturday.

Cristiano Ronaldo has hit his stride over the last week. The Portugal international has silenced his doubters, netting eight goals in the last two matches after failing to score in the first two games of the season.

Ronaldo's five-goal performance in the win over Espanyol has helped the club climb to the top of the goal-scoring table in La Liga, with 11 goals from their first three matches, three ahead of nearest rivals Celta Vigo. The club has the best defensive record too, with every other side having conceded at least once so far this season.

Despite the transfer window having only just closed, there is already talk of players moving away from the Bernabeu at the end of the season, with Ronaldo and Isco among those thought to be attracting interest from elsewhere.

La Liga has its first midweek round of fixtures of the season next week, making this fixture the middle game in a three-match run in eight days, with a trip to Athletic Bilbao coming just a couple of days after this match.

Recent form: DWWDWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWDWWW


Granada

Granada's defender Diego Mainz celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match Granada FC v Sevilla FC at Nuevo Los Carmenes stadium in Granada on April 19, 2015© Getty Images

It has been a mixed start to the season for Granada, with Jose Ramon Sandoval's side winning twice and losing once in their first three outings of the 2015-16 campaign.

The club are without a win at home this season, losing their matches against Eibar and Villarreal last time out 3-1, while beating Getafe 2-1 away from home in between the two defeats.

Granada have one of the worst defensive records in the league so far this season, letting in seven goals in their first three fixtures. Only Espanyol, who conceded six against Real last weekend, have conceded more. The side has shown some attacking promise though, scoring in every fixture so far.

Granada's defensive struggles are nothing new. This weekend's visitors ranked 17th defensively last season, letting in 64 goals over the course of the season, while scoring just 29 times. Only Cordoba, who were relegated, had a worse record in front of goal.

The club were busy during the summer transfer window in a bid to ensure that they are not involved in the relegation battle again this season. Ruben Perez and Rene Krhin were among the players to come in, and have both featured in the league already.

Like their opponents, Granada will be in action midweek following this match. They have a short turnaround for their trip to Valencia after Tuesday's meeting with Real Sociedad though, as they play in the Friday evening fixture at the Mestalla next week.

Recent form: WWDLWL
Recent form (all competitions): WLWLWL


Team News

Gareth Bale of Real Madrid reacts after getting injured during the UEFA Champions League Group A match between Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk at estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 15, 2015© Getty Images

Real Madrid picked up a couple of injuries during their match in the Champions League, with Sergio Ramos dislocating his shoulder, while Gareth Bale was forced off with a calf strain, which will reportedly set to miss the next month with a strain, although the club are still assessing the extent of the injury.

The pair join James Rodriguez and Danilo in the treatment room as they continue to recover from thigh and foot injuries respectively, but Raphael Varane, who was taken off at half time in the win over Shakhtar, is expected to be available, having only been withdrawn as a precaution.

Granada will be without midfielder Ruben Perez after he picked up a knee sprain early in their defeat to Villarreal last weekend, ruling him out for the next two to three weeks.

Fran Rico may take his spot in the starting lineup, having come off the bench to score at Los Carmenes on Sunday.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Navas, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo, Carvajal, Ronaldo, Casemiro, Kovacic, Isco, Benzema, Kroos

Granada possible starting lineup:
Fernandez, Lomban, Biraghi, Babin, Lopes, Marcquez, Rico, Rochina, Success, Krhim, El Arabi


Head To Head

Granada will not have happy memories of their last visit to the Bernabeu in April, when they suffered a crushing 9-1 defeat, with Ronaldo scoring five of the goals for the home side.

In eight previous meetings with Granada, Real have won seven times, with their only defeat coming at Los Carmenes during the 2012-13 campaign.

Granada have netted just twice in their last six meetings with Real, including once in their sole win over Los Blancos.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Real Madrid 3-0 Granada

Real Madrid have looked absolutely solid at the back, and now that Ronaldo is firing on all cylinders, the home side will surely be optimistic of extending their winning run. With Bale and Ramos sidelined, Benitez will have to rotate his squad, but the hosts should still have plenty in reserve to wrap up another comfortable win.



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Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his second goal during the UEFA Champions League group A football match Real Madrid CF vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on September 15, 2015
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