Madrid, Feb 1 (FN Bureau) Real Madrid can go back to the top of La Liga on Thursday if it takes a point from its short visit to play Getafe in a match postponed from early January due to Madrid’s commitments in the Spanish Supercup. Jude Bellingham returns after his weekend suspension as Carlo Ancelotti’s side looks to add to its five-match winning run in La Liga. Real Madrid had to work hard for those wins, with four of them coming by just one goal and with recent wins against Almeria and Las Palmas seeing them come back from behind after conceding first. Ancelotti’s men go into Thursday’s match with an important advantage over their rivals, given that they played their last match (away to Las Palmas) on Saturday afternoon, while Getafe had to wait until Monday night before defeating Granada 2-0, meaning Carlo Ancelotti’s players have had 53 hours more recovery time.
The only players Ancelotti doesn’t have available are long-term injury trio of Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba and Eder Militao. That means he will once again have to decide between Kepa Arrizabalaga or Andriy Lunin in goal, although Lunin was preferred to the Chelsea loanee at the weekend. Ancelotti will also have to consider if he needs to rest some players for Sunday’s derby at home to Atletico Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu. The fourth meeting between the two sides this season comes just over two weeks after Atletico knocked Real Madrid out of the Copa del Rey and the supporters in the Bernabeu will clearly be out for revenge. The good news for Real Madrid is that Courtois is progressing with his recovery from the cruciate knee ligament injury he suffered at the start of the season and should be fit to play in the Champions League quarterfinals in early April. Getafe’s main threat is former Real Madrid forward Borja Mayoral, who has 14 goals this season and the top-scoring Spaniard in the competition – the same as Bellingham.