Real Madrid will be bidding to make it five La Liga wins on the bounce on Sunday when they lock horns with Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Les Merengues are currently top of the table, three points clear of second-placed Barcelona, winning 10 and drawing one of their 11 matches to amass 31 points. However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side lost their first game of the season on Tuesday night, with German side RB Leipzig beating them 3-2 in the Champions League.
As a result, Ancelotti and co. must be raring to bounce back against Girona, who are 18th in the table after 11 games.
Real Madrid Team News
Karim Benzema hasn’t recovered in time from the muscle fatigue he’s been dealing with in recent weeks and will miss the game against Girona.
Federico Valverde, Luka Modric, Dani Ceballos and Mariano Diaz all missed the last match against RB Leipzig with injuries but the quartet were spotted in training on Saturday morning. So, they are all expected to be a part of Real Madrid’s squad on Sunday.
However, Rodrigo missed the training on Saturday, but Carlo Ancelotti expects the Brazilian to recover from a small problem in time to face Girona.
Predicted Real Madrid Lineup vs Girona (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
One of the world’s best goalkeepers, Thibaut Courtois is a shoo-in to start against Girona. He will be desperate to keep a clean sheet after conceding thrice in the defeat to RB Leipzig in midweek.
Defence
Eder Militao will take up the right centre-back position, with David Alaba occupying the other half in the Real Madrid lineup.
Dani Carvajal is nailed on to feature in the right-back position from the onset, whereas Ferland Mendy will fill in on the other flank as the left-back in the Real Madrid lineup.
The Real Madrid back four, along with the goalkeeper, must defend well throughout the 90 minutes to secure a clean sheet at home.
Midfield
Aurelien Tchouameni will start at the base of midfield in the Real Madrid lineup, looking to control the tempo of the game.
He will join the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the engine room, as the two veterans aim to dominate possession and carve out meaningful opportunities in the final third for the forwards to profit from.
This means Eduardo Camavinga has to once again be content with a spot on the bench for Ancelotti’s side.
Attack
Rodrygo Goes is expected to recover from a minor problem to face Girona. The Brazilian will deputise for the injured Benzema, operating as a false 9 in the Real Madrid lineup with Vinicius Jr. and Fede Valverde bringing creativity, pace and flair from the left and right flank, respectively.
Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard and fit-again Dani Ceballos might get introduced at a later stage as second-half changes.