Real Madrid will be bidding to make it five straight wins in all competitions when they continue their La Liga campaign away to Girona on Tuesday night.
Los Blancos, who sit second in the table, will enter the contest off the back of a 2-0 win over Celta Vigo on Saturday afternoon, while 11th-placed Girona suffered a 1-0 loss to Real Valladolid last time out.
Match preview
© Reuters
Having been promoted back to La Liga via the Segunda Division playoffs, Girona's main aim this season would have been to avoid relegation, with anything else viewed as a huge bonus.
The White and Reds have undoubtedly performed above expectations this season, picking up 38 points from 30 matches to sit 11th in the table, some eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Girona are not going to claim a European spot this term, but they will certainly have their eyes on a top-half finish, currently sitting just three points behind eighth-placed Osasuna.
Michel's side brought a four-game unbeaten run into their clash with Real Valladolid on Saturday but suffered a 1-0 loss at Estadio Municipal Jose Zorrilla, with Monchu netting the only goal of the contest.
The Catalan outfit will now be bidding to bounce back against the European and Spanish champions, and they have been impressive on home soil this season, picking up 27 points from 15 matches, winning eight times in the process, which has been the base for their strong form in 2022-23.
© Reuters
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 2-0 victory over Celta on Saturday, with Marco Asensio and Eder Militao on the scoresheet in the routine success at Bernabeu.
The result moved Carlo Ancelotti's team onto 65 points, eight points behind league leaders Barcelona, but the gap was back to 11 on Sunday afternoon, with the Catalan outfit beating Atletico Madrid.
Third-placed Atletico had been chasing down Real Madrid in second spot, with Diego Simeone's side in brilliant form in the second half of the campaign, but the Red and Whites are now five points off their rivals following their loss at Camp Nou.
Real Madrid will not be expecting Barcelona to drop enough points to allow them back into the race, but it could still be a very successful campaign for Los Blancos, who are chasing two major trophies late in the season.
The capital side will face Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final on May 6 before hosting Manchester City for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final three days later.
It will be fascinating to see how the next three league games against Girona, Almeria and Real Sociedad are treated, as Ancelotti will want to keep his players fresh for the three huge matches.
Team News
© Reuters
Girona will again be without the services of Borja Garcia, David Lopez, Joel Roca, Yangel Herrera and Ibrahima Kebe for the contest with the reigning La Liga champions.
Meanwhile, Toni Villa and Aleix Garcia had to be substituted in the early stages of Saturday's loss to Real Valladolid, and the pair will also miss out on Tuesday night.
However, the home side will be boosted by the returns of Santiago Bueno and Valentin Castellanos, with the duo both suspended for the team's last game; Cristhian Stuani could retain his spot in the final third due to the midfield absences, with the hosts potentially changing to a 4-4-2 formation.
As for Real Madrid, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy remain on the sidelines through injury, while Dani Ceballos is suspended following his booking against Celta.
Karim Benzema played the full 90 minutes of Saturday's match after recovering from injury, but he has been left out of the squad for this match due to a slight muscular issue.
Eden Hazard is also missing for the Spanish champions, having picked up an issue during a training session.
Toni Kroos and Luka Modric could come back into the side alongside Dani Carvajal, with Ancelotti expected to rotate his squad in the build-up to the Copa del Rey final and Champions League semi-finals.
Girona possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; A Martinez, Bueno, Juanpe, J Hernandez; Riquelme, Romeu, Martin, Tsygankov; Castellanos, Stuani
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Valverde, Kroos, Modric; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius
We say: Girona 1-2 Real Madrid
Girona's home form this season has been strong, winning eight of their 15 matches, but Real Madrid have the second-best away record in the division, claiming 31 points from 15 games. It would not be a surprise to see a draw here, but we just have a feeling that the reigning champions will navigate their way to all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
