Real Madrid vs Getafe: Los Blancos seek to maintain perfect start to the season
Real Madrid will be aiming to maintain their perfect start to the season when they host Getafe on Saturday. Los Blancos come into this game having earned maximum points against Athletic Bilbao, Almeira, and Celta de Vigo, which sees Carlo Ancelotti’s men holding a narrow two point lead over the rest of the table. This game will be Real Madrid’s first on home turf after having to play all three of their prior games on the road, and it’s safe to say that the Spanish heavyweights will be looking forward to playing in front of their home fans.
New signing Jude Bellingham the talk of the town…
Real Madrid may have lost star man Karim Benzema, with the French international opting to depart in lieu of a big money move to Saudi Arabia, but they have a new face shouldering much of the goalscoring responsibilities. English youngster Jude Bellingham has really taken to La Liga like a duck to water, with four goals in his first three appearance for Ancelotti’s side. One of those goals proved to be the deciding factor as Real Madrid were finally able to overcome a stubborn Celta de Vigo side, and the former Dortmund man will be looking forward to scoring in his fourth consecutive competitive game for Los Blancos.
…but injuries have started to pile up at a tricky time
Bellingham’s performances have earned him a lot of plaudits, but there is another major concern for Real Madrid as they prepare to challenge for the Champions League: injuries. Both Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois have been hit by knee injuries that will keep them out for the long haul, while there are serious concerns about Vinicius Junior after he limped off injured during Real Madrid’s recent clash against Celta de Vigo. The Brazilian international is now expected to miss at least a month due to a muscular problem. Still, it is not entirely doom and gloom for Real Madrid, who could possibly be welcoming back Dani Ceballos and Ferland Mendy after the duo have made good progress in their respective rehab programs.
Will Getafe present a banana peel for Real Madrid?
The visitors currently sit in 11th place having earned four points so far and come into this match having picked up a tough 1-0 win over Deportivo. Although Getafe have won just four of their last 28 meetings with Real Madrid across all comps, and have just scored in one of their last 10 matches against Los Blancos, they did manage to pick up a 1-0 win last term. In addition, Getafe also held Barcelona to a frustrating scoreless stalemate earlier this season and will be hoping to try to pull off the same feat when they arrive at the newly refurbished Santiago Bernabeu this Saturday.
On paper, this should be a relatively straightforward task for Real Madrid, but given that they are dealing with injuries to several key players, including now the pacey Vini Jr, Los Blancos may find their opponents a lot trickier than one expects. With cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid breathing down their necks, Real Madrid will come into this game knowing that any slip-ups could see them end up surrendering top spot in the nascent table by the time matchday four concludes this weekend.
