The Daily Star Ireland
Leganés will host Real Madrid at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque on Sunday for an exciting La Liga clash.
Leganés comes into the match after a 1-0 win over Sevilla, where they had 43% possession and registered eight shots on goal, with four on target. Miguel de la Fuente scored the only goal of the game in the 82nd minute. In their last six matches, Leganés has scored 10 goals and conceded eight. They are unbeaten in their past three home league games.
On the other hand, Real Madrid enters the game after a dominant 4-0 win against Osasuna, in which they had 68% possession and 18 shots, eight of which were on target. Vinicius Júnior scored a hat-trick, and Jude Bellingham also found the net. Real Madrid has been involved in high-scoring games recently, with five of their last six matches featuring three or more goals, averaging four goals per match. However, they have not won their last two away games against Leganés in the league.
Looking at the recent head-to-head record, Real Madrid holds the upper hand with three wins, while Leganés has won once, and two matches have ended in draws. The most recent encounter, a 2-2 draw in July 2020, saw Leganés with 34% possession and 15 shots on goal. Bryan Gil and Roger Assalé scored for Leganés, while Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio scored for Real Madrid.
For this match, Leganés will be without Renato Tapia, who is sidelined with an adductor injury, and Enric Franquesa, who is out with a cruciate ligament injury. They are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Marko Dmitrovic in goal, supported by Adrià Altimira, Sergio González, Matija Nastasic, and Jorge Sáenz in defense. Seydouba Cissé and Roberto López will anchor the midfield, while Juan Cruz, Darko Brasanac, Munir El Haddadi, and Miguel de la Fuente will lead the attack.
Real Madrid will be missing several key players, including Thibaut Courtois, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Lucas Vázquez, Rodrygo, David Alaba, Daniel Carvajal, and Éder Militão due to injuries. Carlo Ancelotti is expected to start with a 4-3-3 formation, with Andriy Lunin in goal, and Federico Valverde, Jesús Vallejo, Antonio Rüdiger, and Ferland Mendy in defense. Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, and Jude Bellingham are likely to make up the midfield, with Brahim Díaz, Kylian Mbappé, and Vinícius Júnior leading the attack.
Prediction
Real Madrid is favored to win and is expected to secure a comfortable 2-0 victory over Leganés, who may struggle to score. The match is likely to see fewer than 3.5 goals.
