Overview
A 0-1 defeat to Espanyol left Real Madrid trailing in the La Liga title race. Worse still, Los Blancos centre-back Antonio Rudiger was also injured after the defeat.
This will make Real Madrid's defensive crisis worse than ever. Their February schedule is quite harsh and Real need a win against Leganes to boost their morale.
This weekend, coach Carlo Ancelotti's team will have an extremely important match against Atletico Madrid in La Liga. A few days later, "Los Blancos" will have to face their fateful opponent Manchester City in the Champions League.
Overall, Leganes are not a worthy opponent for Real Madrid at the moment. They are currently 16th in La Liga with only 23 points and will certainly prioritize the relegation battle over the ambition to go far in the Copa del Rey. Leganes will likely save their key players, as they have an important match against Valencia just a few days later.
With just 19 goals in La Liga, Leganes will struggle to put Real Madrid under pressure even if Los Blancos are missing several key defenders. Ancelotti may not need to field his strongest squad to qualify for the Copa del Rey.
Real Madrid have won nine, drawn two and lost two of their last 13 meetings with Leganes. Los Blancos have beaten their opponents this season, winning 1-0 away in La Liga in November 2024.
Human resources situation
Defender Enric Franquesa is the only player to miss out through injury for Leganes. Munir El Haddadi will join Dani Raba in attack, while Matija Nastatsic is in defence.
On the other side of the front line, Rudiger will miss the trip to Leganes. Asencio will come in for the German defender, while Brahim Diaz could also be given a chance to start.
Expected lineup:
Leganes: Dmitrovic, Cruz, Nastasic, Gonzalez, Rosier, Alti, Rodriguez, Neyou, Cisse, Raba, El Haddadi.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Vazquez, Tchouameni, Asencio, Garcia, Valverde, Modric, Daiz, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Mbappe.
The match between Leganes and Real Madrid takes place at 3:00 a.m. on February 6 (Vietnam time).
