La Liga Tips: Real Madrid to find a way past spirited Getafe in capital derby | OneFootball

Spanish LaLiga

Carlo Ancelotti will have enjoyed his team's showing versus Athletic

Ahead of a midweek round in La Liga, Jamie Kemp runs through three fixtures on MD33, leading with Real Madrid's tricky trip across town to face Getafe...

Getafe v Real Madrid - Wed, 20:30

Getafe welcoming the giants of Madrid to their home is always a sight to see. For the hosts, it is the perfect chance to play the role of great underdogs, with nothing to lose and absolutely everything to be won. And if they can't get a result, they'll still revel in making life as uncomfortable as possible for Real Madrid.

Derailing the title challenge of their city neighbours would also be a great delight for them, but that adds another layer of difficulty on their challenge. With much on the line, and a season to be salvaged as far as trophies go, this is a Real Madrid team locking in down the stretch of the campaign. Their second half performance against Athletic last time out was impressive; not to mention, much closer to the levels we expect from them.

Though you can expect a spirited fight from Getafe, who'll make this as physical and scattered as they can, Real Madrid should still have enough to break them. They've won six in a row against them in La Liga, keeping a clean sheet in five of those matches.

While backing the visitors to win, it's worth looking to the fouls market here too. Getafe's physicality and intensity is the key to any success they may or may not have on the night, and full back Juan Iglesias is one of the men to target in my eyes.

Iglesias is averaging 1.5 fouls conceded per 90 in La Liga this season, but there should be ample opportunity for him to climb above that here. He made four fouls in the reverse fixture against Real Madrid this term, while he's been booked in two of his three appearances against Los Blancos in La Liga to date.

Whether he lines up on the left or right here, Iglesias is going to have a tricky match-up on his hands - whether it's Vinicius, Rodrygo, or even one of the rotational players like Brahim Diaz. And, of course, his team aren't going to see much of the ball (they won't mind that).

Celta Vigo v Villarreal - Wed, 18:00

Celta Vigo came close to grabbing an historic result away to Barcelona last time out, and might just have held on were it not for a spirited comeback, led by the current favourite to win this season's Ballon d'Or. Even so, you couldn't be anything but impressed with Claudio Giraldez's side, who have become a tremendous asset for La Liga in terms of its wider strength.

Back on home soil here, they'll still take a lot of optimism from what they showed in Barcelona. And they're a tough proposition at Balaidos, having only lost four of their 21 home league matches since Giraldez took charge - three of which came against teams currently in the top four in La Liga.

On the flip side, Villarreal are playing tremendously well too. Looking at the underlying data, Marcelino's side rank third in La Liga in 2025 for expected goal difference (+9.5), behind only Barcelona (+18.9) and Real Madrid (+13.6). They were tremendously unlucky not to beat Real Sociedad last time out, and have been in European qualification-level form for some time now.

With this being a game that really could go either way, I'll stay away from the result and look to a player that can have a key influence here.

There's a possibility Marcelino sees it apt to make some rotations in midweek, which would see the man in question - Thierno Barry - moved out of the XI, but it's also true that Villarreal have had a much lighter schedule across the season overall than all of their main competitors. They've only played 33 games this term, far fewer than the likes of Real Sociedad (51) and Real Betis (50).

And while Celta are strong at home, they don't often keep a clean sheet (four in their last 20 in La Liga). Through the Frenchman Barry, I like Villarreal's chances of success on the attacking front here.

He attempted 10 shots against Real Sociedad last time out; the most by any player in a La Liga match this season. It's a stat which sums up the level of chaos he can cause in opposition backlines, and he'll be a direct option for them if Celta bring out their usual aggressive press.

Leganes v Girona - Thu, 18:00

Oh dear, Girona. From the heights of the Champions League last season, and a brief attempt at the title, to a genuine relegation battle. They're now on a 10-game winless run in La Liga (D3 L7), losing each of the last four in a row - the worst streak since they returned to the top-flight in 2022.

"The reality is that, the first half today, we hit rock bottom in terms of our mental level," Michel said in the wake of his side's defeat to Real Betis last time out.

On Thursday night, Girona will very much feel like they're in a fight for survival too. With an away trip to Leganes, who currently sit 19th in the table and five points behind them, another slip-up here would complicate their lives massively. It's going to be a challenging evening for them in every sense.

Likewise, Butarque is not an easy place to go. For Girona, it could very well be an uncomfortable one, given that Borja Jimenez's side base their strength in their defensive block and closing off meaningful spaces for attacking sides, while they have struggled massively when coming up against similar proposals. Michel's side have scored more than once in only one of their last 10 games in La Liga.

Knowing those struggles on the attacking end, vulnerability defensively, and the building anxiety that could well affect Girona, I expect Leganes to very much prey on that. They'll defend deep and challenge the visitors to be precise with their play, but do so with a real aggression without renouncing their pressure on the ball.

Indeed, Borja Jimenez's team have been good at keeping games tight this season - especially for one of the lowest-quality squads in the division. Only two of Leganes's last 14 games in La Liga have been decided by more than a single goal, and they'll set up to be in a position to steal a victory here if they can, while doing as much as they can to ensure they don't lose.

The Madrid side have drawn two of their last three in La Liga (L1), with just three goals being scored across those matches. I think they'll hang tough here, even if they can't find any attacking solutions of their own.

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