Real Madrid will be without their best playmaker when they take on Girona at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Los Blancos are fresh off a dominant Champions League knockout phase playoff tie against Manchester City. Real Madrid eliminated the defending English champions 6–3 on aggregate thanks to four goals from Kylian Mbappé.
Carlo Ancelotti's men must now turn their attention back to La Liga. Real Madrid saw their seven-point lead atop the standings vanish over the last three weeks after dropping points against Espanyol, Atlético Madrid and Osasuna. Los Blancos desperately need three points to get their Spanish title defense back on track.
Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba and Lucas Vázquez all returned from injury against Manchester City and are available to play on Sunday. Jude Bellingham, meanwhile, is suspended for the clash after receiving a straight red card against Osasuna. Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão remain sidelined after suffering season-ending ACL injuries.
Here's what Real Madrid's XI could look like against Girona on Feb. 23.
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Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Girona (4-2-3-1)
GK: Thibaut Courtois—Courtois has failed to keep a clean sheet in his last five appearances across all competitions.
RB: Lucas Vázquez—The Spaniard is in line to make his first start since the Madrid derby.
CB: Raúl Asencio—Asencio put in another stellar performance against City at home and has more than earned his spot in Ancelotti's XI.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger—The center back is fully fit after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury.
LB: Fran García—Ancelotti has consistently rotated García and Ferland Mendy at left back, and it is the Spaniard's turn to get the nod.
DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—Free from his emergency center back duties, the Frenchman looked better than ever in the middle of the park against City.
DM: Eduardo Camavinga—After playing just 12 minutes on Wednesday, Camavinga returns to the lineup to give Fede Valverde some much-needed rest.
RW: Rodrygo—Rodrygo's work rate on the right wing earned him some high praise from Thierry Henry after Real Madrid's victory against City.
AM: Brahim Díaz—Díaz gets a rare start as a No. 10 while Bellingham serves his suspension. The Morocco international most recently found the back of the net against City at the Etihad.
LW: Vinícius Júnior—The winger is in the middle of an uncharacteristic goal drought. Vinícius Júnior has not found the back of the net in La Liga since Nov. 9.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Girona: La Liga.
