Three days after one other magical Champions League night time on the Santiago Bernabeu, Actual Madrid are again in motion on residence soil as they tackle Girona on matchday 25 of La Liga on Sunday, February twenty third. With just one level separating the groups ranked from first to 3rd within the desk, there’s little room for error within the title race, particularly with the Whites having gone winless of their final three league outings.
The problem towards Girona is one which Los Blancos have handed with flying colors so far as current reminiscence suggests, with a 10-0 head-to-head report of their favour maintaining the final three conferences in thoughts. Earlier this season, Madrid gained 3-0 at Montilivi in December, because of Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe, and can look to repeat their exploits in entrance of aim this time round.
Carlo Ancelotti might be with out one in every of his most vital gamers in Jude Bellingham after the Englishman obtained a pink card towards Osasuna final weekend. With the membership’s attraction for the controversial refereeing determination rejected, Bellingham might be out for 2 matches. Elsewhere on the pitch, there aren’t any accidents or suspensions, barring the long-term absences of Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao as a result of ACL ruptures.
Kylian Mbappe is in significantly imperious kind for the hosts this season, not least within the ongoing calendar 12 months. His hat-trick towards Manchester Metropolis within the midweek Champions League match was the 26-year-old’s sixth aim in his earlier 4 outings.
, alongside Vinicius Junior, who put in one in every of his greatest ever shows when the 2 groups met on the Bernabeu final season.
Girona come into the match positioned eleventh within the league standings and should not having fun with the shape which put them into the title race final season. Other than languishing within the backside half of La Liga, they’ve additionally been defeated in 4 of their final 5 matches in all competitions. Yangel Herrera is suspended for the guests, who’re additionally more likely to be with out Abel Ruiz and Arnaut Danjuma owing to health points.
Cristhian Stuani would be the Catalan outfit’s hazard man with 4 objectives to his title this season. He’s amongst their most skilled gamers and has scored a handful of objectives towards Actual Madrid, so it goes with out saying that Girona will hope for him to be at their greatest to take something away from the match, particularly with Danjuma, one in every of their most artistic males absent.
The referee for Sunday’s assembly is Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez. Off the again of some severe controversies by the lads within the center in La Liga over current weeks, he will even be severely scrutinised although the Merengues will rightly hope that they aren’t left to be onerous performed by the decision-making as soon as extra, as they had been on every of their three earlier events within the Spanish prime flight.
By the point they get the ball rolling on Sunday, Actual Madrid could be the chasing pack behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, with each of them having performed and gained on Saturday.
Thus, will probably be crucial to win and will probably be attention-grabbing to see whether or not Los Merengues are capable of replicate their midweek dominance from the Champions League.
