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Real Madrid take on Getafe tonight in La Liga as part of Matchday 26 of the competition, and do so under pressure as Barcelona have taken a provisional four-point lead once more.
The Merengues downed Benfica midweek in the UEFA Champions League, securing their place in the Round of 16 and staying alive in the competition despite a scare.
Now, they must turn their focus back to La Liga where they recently gave away the lead to Hansi Flick’s Barcelona. They face Getafe at home, but Jose Bordalas’ men are anything but a walk in the park.
The last time Real Madrid and Getafe faced off, Los Blancos managed to score late in the game only after the hosts went a man down, having struggled to get past the low defensive block. The same struggle is expected later tonight.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Getafe.
Serious uncertainties
Real Madrid simply cannot have a period of the season without injury setbacks, and just when it seemed like key players were returning, the spree of setbacks began again.
Jude Bellingham and Eder Militao are still out with long-term injuries with Kylian Mbappe joining them on the sidelines for the team’s next two games at least. Also ruled out are Dani Ceballos and Raul Asencio with word coming in that the list could be longer.
If having five big names out was not enough, Dean Huijsen only completed a part of the training with the team yesterday, and continues to be a doubt for the game against Getafe. A decision will only be taken today.
Further, Eduardo Camavinga is suffering from a serious toothache and his participation in the game is also in doubt. As with Huijsen, a decision on his participation will be taken today.
At this point, Real Madrid could well head into the game with as many as seven players out through physical problems, leaving the squad depleted across the park.
There is enough depth of field in a starting XI, but neither will it have the impact the usual XI has nor the comfort of depth on the bench in case of any adverse game situation.
Rodrygo must step up
Rodrygo must step up. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Kylian Mbappe’s absence has amped up the pressure on Real Madrid’s other forwards to start delivering and Vinicius Jr. has taken up a part of that responsibility in recent games.
Since the beginning of February, he has scored six goals in five games. His boost in form has helped Real Madrid tide over a period of injury and dip in form for Mbappe, and the men in white will hope that he can continue his magic tomorrow.
Receiving support from Rodrygo, however, will go a long way in easing the pressure off Vinicius, and with the Brazilian now back from injury and suspension, one can expect him to play a bigger part.
Since Alvaro Arbeloa took charge after the Spanish Super Cup, Rodrygo only played 41 minutes against Benfica in the league phase of the UEFA Champions Leagued 13 minutes against Rayo Vallecano.
He has, thus, not yet shown the new coach what he is capable of and will look to leave a statement performance against Getafe, claiming ownership over the unclaimed starting position on the right flank.
All eyes on the veteran defensive core
The biggest blow in terms of injuries for Real Madrid ahead of tonight’s game is in defence, and the team have just two options to pick from given the likely situation.
With Asencio and Militao definitively ruled out, and Huijsen a doubt, David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger sit as Real Madrid’s defensive options on the night.
Huijsen is not ruled out, but the fact that he only completed part of the group training session reflects that he is still not at his 100% and that he will likely not start against Getafe.
Alaba and Rudiger, in that sense, would be the only natural defensive pairing left for the manager to choose. However, the veteran duo have not started together regularly in a long time.
Both veterans have their future hanging in doubt and will likely leave the club by June, and it will be interesting to see how they perform starting as a pair against Getafe.
One would naturally expect a relatively aged duo to lack the pace needed to stop Getafe’s counter-attacks – something the visitors thrive on given their low block.
Rudiger and Alaba have both delivered decent individual performances in recent weeks, and the question revolves completely around how they will complement each other playing as the team’s only options.
Their performance, needless to say, will play a massive part in deciding the result of the game.