Following their disappointing 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, Real Madrid will be eager to bounce back to winning ways when they host Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga.
With Barcelona slipping up in the league for a third time in a row, Real Madrid now have an excellent opportunity to eke past their arch-rivals in the title race.
After all, Los Blancos are just four points behind Hansi Flick’s side and have two games in hand, one of which will be played out tomorrow at the Bernabeu.
A chance to cut down the gap to the top to just one point will serve as extra motivation for a team that will already be gunning for a victory following the disappointment in Europe earlier in the week.
Real Madrid will go into tonight’s game boosted by the return of key forward Rodrygo Goes. However, they continue to remain without David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Aurelien Tchouameni, Vinicius Jr., and Eduardo Camavinga for the match.
With absolutely no room for error in terms of results, here’s how Carlo Ancelotti could set up his Real Madrid team against Getafe on Sunday.
Defence
Thibaut Courtois is the absolute undisputed starter between the sticks for Real Madrid and that will not change when Jose Bordalas’ men come visiting tomorrow.
Lucas Vazquez is the obvious pick at right-back in Dani Carvajal’s absence but there could be a change on the left side with Fran Garcia in line to replace Ferland Mendy following the Frenchman’s dull display vs Liverpool.
Raul Asencio has been a godsend for Real Madrid amidst their injury crisis and will hold on to his spot as Antonio Rudiger’s centre-back partner on Sunday, going up against former Castilla teammate Alvaro Rodriguez.
Midfield
Given how Getafe set up and their solid defensive structure, it would not come as a surprise to see Ancelotti opt for an additional creative midfielder in the starting lineup tomorrow.
As such, there is a strong chance that Real Madrid will line up with a four-man diamond midfield formation on Sunday with Federico Valverde slotting in at the base in the absence of Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Further up, it will be the duo of captain Luka Modric and talismanic star Jude Bellingham, who will be tasked with adding the creative influence and attacking impetus, respectively, from midfield.
Arda Guler could be in for a rare start as his skills and vision could come in extremely handy in unlocking the visitors’ rearguard.
Forwards
With no Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo Goes just returning from an injury, Ancelotti has little room to manoueuvre in attack.
As such, it is expected that the Real Madrid boss will once again go into the game with the two-pronged frontline comprising Brahim Diaz and the underfire Kylian Mbappe, who will be eager to get things back on track.
Endrick will once again have to make do with a spot on the Real Madrid bench.