Real Madrid is fresh off a 4-0 victory in the Champions League before taking on Granada in their fourth game of La Liga. After a rough start, Rafa Benitez side seems to be unstoppable and the trend seems like it can continue even with four of theirbest players out with injuries.
Real Madrid
This could be a chance to see an alternative Madrid. The starters have played two games in less than seven days and next week, there will be two more La Liga games in the schedule. Gareth Bale will definitely be out for a month with a strain as Sergio Ramos dislocated his shoulder in their Thursday game.
Raphael Varane also left the game early but should be made available for this Saturday's match. Cristiano Ronaldo is coming off a week with eight goals, including five in their game against Espanyol just last week, which was the same amount of goals he scored against Granada last time they met.
While Ramos' absence may be difficult to replace, the defensive end of the field has not been a concern for Los Merengues. They have kept a clean sheet in all of their three games so far, making them the best defense so far in La Liga. Keylor Navas just set a club record with four clean sheet games in the beginning of a campaign.
Granada
Granada knows they are going into dangerous territory when they step into the Santiago Bernabeu. To their advantage, only one player is out of their regular roster. Ruben Perez is currently under treatment for a knee sprain, while everyone else on the team is fit to play.
There doesn't seem to be a legitimate reason to think that Granada could surprise Madrid at home. Their best chance lies on taking advantage of whatever Benitez tries to do with rotating his regular squad. With the absence of Ramos in the Madrid defense, spaces could open up for the side of Jose Ramon Sandoval.
The team currently has only won one game and is coming off a 3-1 loss against Villarreal last week. The team likes to attack but may be more cautious this time around hoping to at least come out with a draw. So far, they have scored four goals and received seven. They are placed 11th in the current La Liga standings.
Head to Head
In the last two games between the two clubs, Real Madrid has scored 13 goals and only received one goal (0-4, 9-1). In their last eight games, since 2012, Los Merengues have won seven and Granada just one.
Team sheets for Real Madrid vs Granada
Real Madrid's lineup: Navas, Varane, Pepe, Ronaldo, Kroos, Benzema, Marcelo, Carvajal, Lucas Vázquez, Modric, Isco.
Granada's lineup: Andrés, Miguel Lopes, Doria, Lombán, Biravhi; Krhin, Márquez; Success, Rochina, Édgar, El-Arabi
Real Madrid's subs: Casilla, Nacho, Casemiro, Kovacic, Arbeloa, Jesé, Cheryshev.
Granada's subs: To follow.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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