Real Madrid prepares to face Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu in a matchday 31 clash of the La Liga on Friday night.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s men will certainly look to forget the past week where they lost in back-to-back matches that have put them in a difficult situation in both the domestic league and Champions League journey this season.

Rodrygo is sidelined long-term with a ruptured ACL and lateral meniscus and Thibaut Courtois is expected to miss out due to a thigh injury, leaving Andriy Lunin to start again.

Furthermore, Franco Mastantuono is serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation.

While stars like Jude Bellingham and Eder Militao have been managing recent knocks, they are expected to get the nod in the starting lineup this time.

There is some positive news as Ferland Mendy has returned to full training and might be available based on the final assessment before kick-off.

The pressure is on the duo of Kylian Mbappe and Vinícius Junior to deliver the goals needed to keep their title hopes alive.

Aurelien Tchoumeni is suspended for the second leg against Bayern Munich, indicating he will start this match as well.

On the pitch, the defensive line is depleted with Daley Blind and Arnau Martínez both major doubts due to muscle strains.

Even more concerning is the long-term loss of Donny van de Beek, Portu, and Juan Carlos, all of whom are out for the season with knee injuries.

Their offensive threat is also hampered, as top scorer Vladyslav Vanat is ruled out for 10 to 12 weeks after he was forced off against Villarreal.

Abel Ruiz is expected to take Vanat’s place in the starting XI and lead the line against Real Madrid.

Real Madrid’s momentum has slowed significantly after their back-to-back losses in the league and in the UCL. Their recent 2-1 defeat to Mallorca in La Liga—decided by a stoppage-time goal—leaves them seven points behind league leaders Barcelona. A further 2-1 loss at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg has added pressure to the squad.

Girona enters this fixture with renewed confidence after a hard-fought 1-0 win against third-placed Villarreal, secured via an own goal. This victory moved them up to 12th in La Liga, just one point behind the top ten. A unique statistical highlight for Girona in 2026 is their discipline at the start of games; they have yet to trail at halftime in any match this calendar year.

Real Madrid: Lunin; Carvajal, Militao, Huijsen, F Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Camavinga; Vinicius, Mbappe

Girona: Gazzaniga; Martinez, Reis, Blind, Moreno; Beltran, Witsel; Tsygankov, Martin, Ounahi; Ruiz

In the UK, LaLigaTV holds rights to broadcast most La Liga games, including this fixture, and is accessible via Premier Sports or Amazon Prime Video subscriptions.

Read Also – Arteta hails extraordinary Arsenal star after Sporting win

See More – Angelo Stiller buy-out clause revealed as Premier League clubs linked

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube