Defending champions Real Madrid will resume their La Liga campaign with a home game against relegation-threatened CD Leganes.
With league leaders Barcelona winning their game in hand, Real Madrid will look to keep their title hopes alive with a win over CD Leganes at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night.
The home team are second on the points table with 60 points in their 28 outings. The reigning La Liga champions are three points behind league leaders Barcelona and need to keep winning to ensure they do not let Hansi Flick’s team get away with just ten games to go.
Los Blancos will be high on confidence, having knocked out Atletico Madrid from the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-1 win over Villarreal, and they will be hoping to get the job done against one of the teams from the bottom of the table.
Leganes are 18th on the table with just 27 points in their 28 outings. While things have not really gone their way in the ongoing campaign, they are level on points with the team on 17th, and a few positive results could help them get out of the drop zone.
A win over Real Madrid could completely change the vibe in the dressing room, but it won’t be easy to take down one of the title contenders. Having lost their last two league outings, the visitors won’t mind a draw against the team in white. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal remain on the sidelines, while Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, and Jesus Vallejo are also unavailable for this fixture. But Real Madrid have not suffered any fresh injury concerns during the international break.
Carlo Ancelotti should stick with the 4-4-2 formation, where Thibaut Courtois will be in goal. Lucas Vazquez and Fran Garcia should be the full-backs, while Raul Asencio should partner with Antonio Rudiger at the heart of the defence.
Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham should feature out wide on the flanks. They will look to contribute on both ends of the pitch. Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni will feature in a more central role, they will look to control the tempo of the game. Finally, Vinicius Junior should form the strike partnership with Kylian Mbappe.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Fran Garcia; Rodrygo, Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe
Real Madrid vs Leganes Predicted XI
CD Leganes
The visitors remain without the services of Enric Franquesa. Meanwhile, Diego Garcia and Yvan Neyou will undergo a late fitness test to determine their availability.
Leganes will feature in a 4-5-1 formation, where Marko Dmitrovic will be in goal. Valentin Rosier and Javi Hernandez will start out wide on the flanks as the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Sergio Gonzalez will partner with Matija Nastasic.
Juan Cruz and Darko Brasanac will have a busy day as they look to help the full-backs deal with Madrid’s wide players. While they will feature on the flanks, Renato Tapia, Seydouba Cisse, and Oscar Rodriguez will take up a more central role in midfield. Meanwhile, Dani Raba should lead the line for Leganes against Real Madrid on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Dmitrovic; Rosier, Gonzalez, Nastasic, Javi Hernandez; Cruz, Rodriguez, Tapia, Cisse, Brasanac; Raba
Real Madrid vs Leganes Predicted XI
Key Stats
Real Madrid have won each of their last four games across competitions.
Leganes have only won one out of their last five league games.
Los Blancos have the best home record this season, having racked up 34 points in their 13 outings.
Leganes have only managed 10 points from their 14 away league games.
The team in white have never lost a league game against Leganes. (W7 D2).
Player to Watch
Rodrygo
Embed from Getty Images
The Brazilian winger has 13 goals and eight assists in his 41 outings in the ongoing campaign. While he might not have the limelight, he is one of their most important players. Rodrygo is a consistent performer for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, and he will be hoping the 24-year-old comes good yet again. Having failed to score or assist in the last seven league games, he will be eager to make an impact in this fixture.
Prediction
Real Madrid 3-1 CD Leganes
Los Blancos have enough firepower in their squad to go past one of the bottom-placed teams without much difficulty. While CD Leganes will look for their first-ever league win over Real Madrid, they might not be able to cause an upset here. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 3-1 win for the home team.