Real Madrid vs Getafe: Three key battles to watch out for | OneFootball

Following another disappointing display against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid return to La Liga action this Sunday with yet another difficult match against their cross-town rivals, Getafe.

The Merengues’s squad was further depleted in the last game, as Eduardo Camavinga suffered an injury, and is out for 3-4 weeks. On the other hand, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Brahim Diaz also suffered knocks in that game, but luckily, all of them are available for this game against Getafe.

Despite the absence of several key starters, Carlo Ancelotti has a squad good enough to get the better of Bordalas’ side. However, with Getafe particularly excelling with their defence, this match is not going to be easy for Ancelotti’s men, and there will be three battles in particular to keep an eye on.

Federico Valverde vs Luis Milla

Federico Valverde is expected to return to the midfield for this match, as Lucas Vazquez has returned from his injury, and the Uruguayan is the best man available to play at the midfield pivot position in this game. Eduardo Camavinga in unavailable for this game, while Aurelien Tchouameni will not be at 100% even if he returns to availability on Sunday.

Valverde has been one of the best players for Real Madrid so far in the season, and having him back in midfield will certainly be good news for them. However, for this game, he will be facing another excellent midfielder, Luis Milla, who has also been one of the best players for Getafe this season.

Milla is a fixed starter for Bordalas, and despite his team’s recent struggles, he has been able to put in very consistent performances. He covers a lot of ground in the midfield, and his defensive abilities will make it difficult for Valverde to stamp his authority in the middle of the pitch.

Kylian Mbappe vs Omar Alderete

Despite an injury scare after the Liverpool match, Kylian Mbappe will be available for this game. However, it is clear that the Frenchman is significantly short of confidence, which is clearly affecting his game.

Against the Reds, despite playing in his preferred left-wing position, the French superstar struggled a lot, and was unable to make any notable offensive contributions. To make things even dire, he also missed a penalty that could have allowed the Merengues to get back to level terms in the second half.

With their defensive structure, Getafe will be another difficult opponent for Mbappe, but hopefully, he will be coming into this game with a point to prove. But his task of making a statement performance in this game will not really be easy as he will have to face the Getafe centre-back Omar Alderete.

The Paraguayan defender has been playing at a good level this season and is one of the key starters for Bordalas. After helping his team get a win against Real Valladolid last week, Alderete will once again be looking to keep his defence watertight and ensure Mbappe does not get many chances to score.

Alvaro Rodriguez vs Raul Asencio

This will be a special match for the 20-year-old forward Alvaro Rodriguez who is playing at Getafe on loan from Real Madrid. Although not a regular starter for Bordalas, the youngster is expected to start this game as another former Real Madrid forward, Borja Mayoral, has just recovered from a muscle problem and might not be at 100% fitness for this game.

Rodriguez will be keen to showcase his talents in this game against his parent club and will be looking to add more goals to his tally of 1 goal this season. However, facing him will be his former teammate at Real Madrid Castilla, Raul Asencio, who has been playing for the first team for the last few matches since Eder Militao’s injury.

Since that time, Asencio has not really given many causes for complaint, and even against a side as dangerous as Liverpool, he was able to put in a good performance. Thus, Ancelotti will once again turn to him for this game, and it will be interesting to see which of these La Fabrica graduates comes out victorious in this tie.