Real Madrid will be aiming to make it four wins from their opening four matches of the 2023-24 La Liga campaign when they welcome Getafe to the newly-renovated Bernabeu on Saturday.
Los Blancos have beaten Athletic Bilbao, Almeria and Celta Vigo this season to top the table with nine points, while Getafe are 11th, boasting four points from their opening three matches of the new campaign.
Real Madrid’s first three matches of the 2023-24 La Liga campaign have been on their travels due to the ongoing work at Bernabeu, but the renovation of the stadium is now at a stage where it can host games again.
Los Blancos opened their season with a 2-0 victory at Athletic before running out 3-1 winners over Almeria; Carlo Ancelotti’s side then made it three from three with a 1-0 success at Celta last Friday night.
Jude Bellingham has been the star of the show this season, scoring four times in his first three appearances for the club, but the Spanish giants have been hit with injuries to some vital players early in the campaign.
Real Madrid were 10 points behind the champions Barcelona in Spain’s top flight last season, but it is difficult to imagine that being the case this term, while Atletico Madrid will also fancy their chances of making a stronger push for the title during the 2023-24 campaign.
Los Blancos have won their last three league matches against Getafe, but both games last season finished 1-0, and Jose Bordalas’s side have already held Barcelona to a goalless draw this term.
Getafe opened their season with a 0-0 draw against Barcelona, but they then suffered a 3-0 defeat away to Girona in their second match of the campaign.
The Deep Blue Ones managed to bounce back last time out, recording a 1-0 victory over Alaves on Monday evening, with Borja Mayoral’s late penalty proving to be the difference between the two sides.
Getafe are 11th in the table on four points, having made a solid start, and they have a recent win over Real Madrid to their name, recording a 1-0 victory on home soil in January 2022.
Bordalas’s side have been busy this summer in terms of the transfer market, making seven signings, while there have also been notable departures in the shape of Jaime Seoane, Sergi Altimira and Munir El Haddadi.
Getafe’s success this season is not going to depend on their results against the big sides, especially away from home, but they will be hoping to take advantage of Real Madrid’s injury situation this weekend, as Ancelotti’s side will be missing three of their most important players for this contest.
Real Madrid’s injury situation worsened against Celta when Vinicius Junior was forced off in the first half of the match, and the Brazil international’s muscular problem could keep him out for the next month or so.
Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois remain long-term absentees due to serious knee injuries, while Arda Guler is also in the treatment room recovering from a knee operation of his own.
Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos are in the latter stages of their recoveries from the issues that have kept them out early in the season, but the pair also miss out this weekend.
Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are both pushing for starts, but there might ultimately be just the one change from the side that started against Celta, with Joselu likely to be introduced for Vinicius.
Getafe, meanwhile, have four players currently on the sidelines, with Jose Angel Carmona, Mauro Arambarri, Luis Milla and Enes Unal all injured.
Carles Alena and Portu are pushing to be introduced into the starting side, but it seems likely that head coach Bordalas will keep faith with the same XI that started against Alaves.
Ex-Real Madrid duo Mayoral and Juanmi Latasa should line up against their former club in the final third of the field, while Jaime Mata and Juan Iglesias are also set to be included in the starting side.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Kepa; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Joselu, Rodrygo
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Suarez, Duarte, Mitrovic, Alvarez; Iglesias, Maksimovic, Dakonam, Mata; Mayoral, Latasa
We say: Real Madrid 3-1 Getafe
Real Madrid are the huge favourites to triumph here, and we are expecting them to claim all three points. Getafe are capable of making this a tricky match, and Barcelona struggled against them on the opening weekend of the new season, but Ancelotti’s side should have enough quality to secure the win.
