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“Starts” are often a way to leave the past behind. For Madrid, their season has already begun with a defeat and Sunday offers a quick chance at redemption. Julen Lopetegui's will be looking for his first competitive win having lost a thriller at Tallinn on Thursday against their neighbourhood rivals Atletico Madrid.
Having finished 8th last season, Getafe did play some entertaining football along the way with the manager, Bordolas showing the way. Ahead of their opening game, the coach emphasized on the need to play simple football with team-work as the core mantra. Looking ahead, instead, the coach focussed on competing and about giving a good account of themselves.
Real Madrid v/s Getafe: Kickoff information
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Date: 20 August
Kickoff: 22:15 (local time), 1:45 AM (IST)
Live Stream: Live on La Liga's Facebook page (Indian sub-continent only) - https://www.facebook.com/LaLiga/
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu
Real Madrid v/s Getafe: Team News
Real Madrid: Whether the defeat against Atletico in the Super Cup will see the appearance of Luka Modric from the start is the only question. Asensio should start, taking up the position of Ronaldo, while Bale and Benzema will be there for support. With no major injury absentees, Loptegui will have a full squad to choose from.
How the squad adapts to the departure of Ronaldo will be interesting to see. The core part of the team still remains in place, and Madrid has in the wings the likes of Lucas Vasquez as well. Thibaut Courtois though may take a while to appear in the team as he acclimatizes to his new surroundings leaving Keylor Navas with another opportunity to impress in goal.
Getafe: Bordolas on the other hand, will look to work with his new signings and mix the blend of new with the old. David Soria should start in goal having joined from Sevilla in the summer. This match should also see the return of Mauro Arambarri to the squad having spent a considerable amount of time on the sidelines. Similarly, one expects Nemanja Maksimovic to start having made his move permanent from Valencia over the summer.
Getafe goes into the season with a mixed pre-season behind them having won a couple of matches in their first stage of pre-season. The team trained at Campoamor and have done double-sessions of training during their pre-season with Bordolas concentrating on the season ahead.
Real Madrid v/s Getafe: Probable Line-ups
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Keylor Navas (GK), Marcelo, Ramos, Varane, Carvajal, Casmeiro, Kroos, Isco, Bale, Asensio, Benzema
Getafe (4-2-2): Soria (GK), Suarez, Dakonam, Gonzalez, Antunes, Ndiaye, Arambarri, Maksimovic, Portillo, Molina, Rodriguez.
Real Madrid v/s Getafe: Form Guide
Last 5 matches in all competitions
Real Madrid: L-W-W-W-L
Getafe: W-W-D-D (Pre-season friendlies)
Real Madrid v Getafe: Key Players
Real Madrid: Asensio, will be the one to look out for. The Spaniard has been highly rated and with the departure of Ronaldo, one will be able to see him more often. The diminutive winger has a rasping left-foot and can conjure up power and precision along with excellent ball control.
Having been taken off at the hour mark in the UEFA Super Cup in mid-week, Asensio will look to find his scoring boots. Benzema though has been on target and will look to continue his scoring form. The Frenchman has a knack of racking up goals when on form and will relish the opportunity to be the focal point of Madrid’s attacks
Getafe: The return of Arambarri to the starting line-up is something which most Getafe fans will welcome. That aside, Maksimovic and Molina will be the ones to watch out for. There has also been the presence of Amath who has been touted as the man to watch out for having impressed in the pre-season friendly.
Real Madrid v Getafe: Predictions
Despite the defeat in mid-week, Madrid still are firm favourites, given the talent they have at their disposal. But opening day fixtures have a way of throwing up nasty surprises. And despite Getafe losing both their encounters against the Los Blancos last season, they gave a good account of themselves.
Predicted Score: 3-1
