CONFIRMED lineups: Villarreal vs Real Madrid, 2017 La Liga

Real Madrid have published their starting XI for the upcoming match against Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Real Madrid starting XI: Navas, Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Casemiro, Kroos, Modric, Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema.

Villarreal starting XI: Asenjo; Mario, Víctor Ruiz, Musacchio, Costa; Castillejo, Bruno, Trigueros, Dos Santos; Adrián, Bakambu.

As expected, Gareth Bale is back in the starting XI and his presence should increase Madrid's chances of getting the three points. The Welshman is always a big threat to opposing teams as allows Madrid to sit back and play with a more counterattacking mindset which suits Casemiro way better.

This game is a crucial one for Madrid as Barcelona managed to beat Atletico Madrid away from the Camp Nou and are currently leading the table. It's true that Los Blancos have one more game at hand —away against Celta— but last Wednesday proved that they should not take those matches for granted.

How to watch

Available TV: BeIN Sports (USA), Movistar Partidazo (Spain).

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

For listings in other countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.com.