Real Madrid vs. Getafe: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
Real Madrid will be confident of ending their Primera Division campaign on a positive note when they host Getafe at the Bernabeu on Saturday evening.
Barcelona were confirmed as La Liga’s champions last weekend, leaving Carlo Ancelotti’s side with little to play for on the final day of the season.
Saturday’s match could, however, represent the Italian’s last in charge of Madrid, with rumours swirling that he could be removed from his post as early as Sunday. It was that subject that dominated his pre-match press conference, per the team's official website.
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“I still haven’t spoken to the club and the club hasn’t spoken to me,” he explained. “My mindset remains that I am the coach of this team until the club tells me otherwise.”
If it is to be his last match in charge, he will want to go out on a high.
Madrid were 3-0 winners when the two sides met at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez earlier this season. Getafe played well during the opening 45 minutes, only for second-half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo (two) and Gareth Bale to lead Ancelotti’s side to victory.
That win was Madrid’s 11th in the last 12 meetings between the sides in all competitions. Getafe have only ever won once at the Bernabeu, back in 2008.
The Azulones are without a win in seven matches coming into Saturday’s fixture. They have already confirmed their top-flight status for next season and are therefore under no real pressure to perform.
Pablo Franco is the club’s third coach of a tumultuous campaign. The first, Cosmin Contra, departed for China in January, while his replacement, Quique Sanchez Flores, resigned at the end of February following the sale of attacking midfielder Sammir.
Pablo Sarabia has been one of Getafe’s most impressive players during the second half of the campaign. And the Madrid academy product expects it to be difficult match for his current employers on Saturday.
“It’s never a good time to go to the Bernabeu,” he said in a pre-match press conference, as per Peter Hanson of Goal.com. “We will try to make the match as even as possible.”
Date: Saturday, May 23
Time: 7:30 p.m. BST, 2:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
TV Info: Sky Sports 5 (UK only)
Live Stream: Sky Go (U.K. only)/beIN Sports Connect (U.S. only)
Form
| Espanyol (A): Won 4-1 | Eibar (H): Drew 1-1 |
| Juventus (H): Drew 1-1 | Rayo Vallecano (A): Lost 2-0 |
| Valencia (H): Drew 2-2 | Granada (H): Lost 2-1 |
| Juventus (A): Lost 2-1 | Barcelona (A): Lost 6-0 |
| Sevilla (A): Won 3-2 | Levante (H): Lost 1-0 |
| Almeria (H): Won 3-0 | Athletic Club (A): Lost 4-0 |
Predicted Formations
Ancelotti confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Iker Casillas will start in goal on Saturday in place of Keylor Navas.
Karim Benzema has not been included in Madrid’s 19-man squad. Per AS, the Frenchman picked up a hamstring injury in training earlier this week that has ruled him out of the fixture.
Fabio Coentrao, Luka Modric, Sami Khedira and Sergio Ramos are also missing.
Martin Odegaard, 16, has been included and will become the youngest-ever player to turn out for Madrid if he takes to the field on Saturday, as per Carlos Forjanes of AS.
Getafe will be without the injured Alvaro Vazquez, Juan Valera and Yoda for the short trip to the Bernabeu, while Roberto Lago is suspended.
Per J. A. De La Rosa of AS (in Spanish), Alexis Ruano was suffering from gastroenteritis earlier in the week but has recovered to make the squad.
Angel Lafita returns after making good progress in his recuperation from the knee ligament injury that has kept him out of action since December.
Likely Getafe XI: Vicente Guaita, Alexis, Naldo, Emiliano Velazquez, Sergio Escudero Palomo, Medhi Lacen, Rodriguez; Pedro Leon, Pablo Sarabia, Diego Castro, Fredy Hinestroza.
Players to Watch
Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo and Madrid have missed out on the Primera Division title for a third consecutive season, but the Portuguese forward can still secure himself the personal honour of the Pichichi Trophy as La Liga’s top scorer.
The 30-year-old has a four-goal cushion over Lionel Messi coming into the final weekend and will be looking to add a couple more to his current tally of 45 on Saturday.
“I’ve lost count of how many goals he has scored this season,” Ancelotti said during his pre-match press conference. “He has done his utmost to help the team and you couldn’t ask for any more from his season.”
Getafe: Pablo Sarabia
Sarabia began his career at Real Madrid but, as per Soccerway, played just 18 minutes of football for the first team before moving to Getafe in 2011. After a few stop-and-start campaigns, he has finally begun to perform at a consistently high level during the current campaign.
Per WhoScored, the tricky attacking midfielder leads his side in assists (with five) and will hope to usher his side to an unexpected victory against his former employers on Saturday.
Key Battle: Getafe's Press vs. Madrid's Defence and Midfield
Getafe pressed well as a team in the first half of their home defeat to Madrid in January, forcing a number of errors from their visitors.
Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos were all guilty of giving the ball away inside the defensive half during the opening 45 minutes of that fixture.
Getafe failed to take full advantage of the opportunities that came their way as a result of these giveaways, and Madrid eventually emerged as comfortable victors, with their additional quality in attack shining through.
If Franco’s side, who in the January encounter were coached by Sanchez Flores, can press as effectively on Saturday while making the most of any chances that come their way, they may just have a chance of pulling off an upset.
Odds
Real Madrid: 100-769
Getafe: 20-1
Draw: 8-1
*All odds via OddsShark.
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