Real Madrid will resume their La Liga campaign with a home fixture against struggling Leganes on Saturday night.
Los Blancos are second in the La Liga table, behind leaders Barcelona on the head-to-head record, while Leganes occupy 18th, level on points with 17th-placed Alaves in the battle to remain in Spain’s top flight.
Match preview
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Real Madrid boast a record of 18 wins, six draws and four defeats from their 28 league matches this season, with a total of 60 points leaving them second in the division, behind leaders Barcelona on the head-to-head record.
The Catalan team do have a game in hand, though, which comes against Osasuna on Thursday night, so Real Madrid could be three points off the summit by the time that they take to the field for the home fixture with Leganes.
Carlo Ancelotti‘s side entered the March international break off the back of a 2-1 victory over Villarreal, with Kylian Mbappe netting a brace, and that success made it four straight wins in all competitions for the capital outfit.
Los Blancos are chasing a treble in the latter stages of the season, with Arsenal their opponents in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, while they will welcome Real Sociedad for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final next week.
It would be fair to say that Real Madrid have not been at their best for much of the season, but they are still in a strong position to add to their glorious trophy cabinet in the final months of the campaign.
Real Madrid have the best home record in La Liga this season, picking up 34 points from their 13 matches at Bernabeu, while Leganes have only managed to pick up 10 points from their 14 games on their travels during the 2024-25 campaign.
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Leganes have already tackled Real Madrid twice this season, suffering a 3-0 defeat in the reverse league game back in November, before losing 3-2 last month when the two teams locked horns in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.
El Lega have actually never beaten Real Madrid in La Liga, losing seven and drawing two of their nine meetings against the capital giants in the competition, with their two draws coming in front of their own supporters.
The last league meeting between the two sides at Bernabeu came in October 2019, with the hosts running out 5-0 winners, but Leganes’ players will certainly be fresher heading into the contest, as a number of Real Madrid’s stars have been on international duty.
Leganes opened March with a 1-0 success over Getafe, but they have lost their last two against Celta Vigo and Real Betis, with the team currently 18th in the table, level on points with 17th-placed Alaves.
Borja Jimenez‘s side, who are the reigning Segunda Division champions, have found it difficult on their travels this season, but they recorded a 1-0 victory away to the leaders Barcelona shortly before the winter break in Spain.
Team News
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Real Madrid will again be without the services of long-term absentees Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao through injury, although the pair are making excellent progress, and returns before the end of the 2024-25 campaign are seen as possible.
Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos and Jesus Vallejo are also absent, but Real Madrid have not suffered any fresh concerns during the international break, with the likes of Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all available.
Vinicius and Antonio Rudiger will both be back in the XI after starting on the bench against Villarreal last time out, while Fran Garcia should continue at left-back in the absence of Mendy.
Mbappe will be aiming to add to the 31 goals that he has scored in all competitions during the 2024-25 campaign.
As for Leganes, Enric Franquesa remains on the sidelines with a long-term knee injury, while Diego Garcia and Yvan Neyou are also doubts, with late fitness tests required to determine their availability.
Dani Raba scored twice against Real Betis before the international break from a centre-forward spot, and the Spaniard is again expected to operate in that area this weekend, with Miguel de la Fuente on the bench.
Juan Cruz scored twice against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey earlier this season, and there will again be a spot in the wide area for the 24-year-old, who has managed seven goals and four assists in 32 matches during an impressive campaign.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Leganes possible starting lineup:
Dmitrovic; Rosier, Gonzalez, Nastasic, J Hernandez; Cruz, Rodriguez, Tapia, Cisse, Brasanac; Raba
We say: Real Madrid 3-1 Leganes
Leganes are certainly capable of making this a tricky match for Real Madrid, and it is always difficult to know exactly what to expect from games straight after an international break. That said, we are finding it difficult to imagine a scenario which does not involve Los Blancos picking up all three points in relatively routine fashion.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
