Match Overview

Real Madrid is set to face Getafe CF at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on Saturday for their first La Liga match after the international break. Real is looking to stay on track and get the 3 points they need to try and get closer towards Barcelona’s league lead. Getafe is currently tied for 12th/13th/14th place in Liga, where they are tied with Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao at 8 points. Being on the road again and having a rather good record to boot, Real will look to take a win against Getafe and stay on track towards to the top of the league.

Key Injuries

While neither club has confirmed their lineups for the match, we do know who will not be in Saturday’s match. It was announced earlier this week that Keylor Navas would miss action due to a groin injury he suffered while on duty with the Costa Rican national team. This means that we will most definitely see his backup Kiko Casilla in starting goal for the first time this season. Gareth Bale is also out injured because of the calf injury he sustained before the international break, which caused him to also miss his duty with Wales. This injury could not have come to him at a worse time since he was just starting to get back into great form. Dani Carvajal, another huge loss, is also out with a heart condition he was diagnosed with at the end of September. Mateo Kovacic is also still out as well as Marcelo.

To get off sad injury news, we switch over to someone who should be coming back into the lineup. Karim Benzema is reportedly healthy and ready to go and it is likely we will see him against Getafe, which should help the team in the wake of all these injuries. Say what you will about Benzema’s performance before his injury, it’s good to see him back healthy and hopefully will lift the team’s confidence. Toni Kroos is also back from a rib injury, though he might not start and be saved for the Tottenham match next Tuesday.

Starting XI

With all this in mind, we can look at a predicted starting XI for both sides according to various reports:

Getafe CF

GK: Guaita

D: Suarez, Dakonam, Cala, Antunes

MF: Jimenez, Bergara, Arambarri, Portillo

F: N’Diaye, Molina

Real Madrid

GK: Casilla

D: Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Theo Hernandez

MF: Casemiro, Isco, Asensio, Modric

F: Ronaldo, Benzema

If Real decide to rest Kroos for the Champion’s League match against the Spurs, then we should see Marco Asensio slot back into the starting XI. Of course, they always could start him to get him back into match form before the big match on Tuesday. Luka Modric is another question for the starting XI. I have him starting, but Zidane could also rest him where Dani Ceballos would then most likely start in his place.

This would be a good match for Ronaldo to start getting into La Liga form and it would be nice to see him have a big game that would hopefully seal 3 points for Real. Perhaps the return of Benzema will spark fire in him since this is the first time this season they are playing together again. Nacho did great in place for Marcelo before the international break and he will be asked to do the same in Carvajal’s absence. Theo also will be asked to have a big performance for the club. The defense is getting thinner with every injury and these two will be asked to step up, though they should be more than able to the task. Just the same, Kiko Casilla will be asked to step up huge for Navas and hopefully he can fortify the net and not allow too much end up in the back of it, if anything at all.

For all intents and purposes, this is a must-win for Real. In fact, most of season will be this case with how slow they started and how good Barcelona has looked. If Real hopes to gain significant ground on first and out of 5th, they need to continue winning. Getafe should result in a win, but they can’t afford to let Getafe think they have a chance at winning. The defense, though injured, needs to stay on top of things and stay in good form. Possession, scoring chances, and goals all need to be in Real’s favor in this match to get 3 points secured. And with Barcelona playing Atlético as well, Real is gifted with a rather easy matchup in comparison to have a great shot at another win.

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM LA LIGA

Date: 10/14/2017

Time: 16:15 CET, 10:15pm EST, 07:15 am Pacific.

Venue: Coliseum Alfonso Perez, Getafe, Spain.

Available TV: BeIN Sports (USA), Sky Sports Football (UK), BeIN La Liga (Spain).

Available Streaming: BeIN Sports (USA), Fubo.TV (EVERY Real Madrid game with a high-quality and legal stream, click here to sign up and benefit from a summer discount for new members and Managing Madrid readers).

Prediction: Getafe 0-2 Real Madrid (Ronaldo, Benzema).