The final international break of 2024 is over and Spanish football returns on Friday with a relegation six pointer in Getafe. Real Madrid and Barcelona are both away, while the big Basque derby between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad is the headline act this weekend. Here are our LaLiga predicted lineups for matchday 14.
LaLiga predicted lineups – Matchday 14
Friday 22nd November 2024
21:00 – Getafe vs Real Valladolid
Getafe striker Borja Mayoral has suffered a fresh injury setback which will rule him out most likely until January. They’ve really struggled for goals without him, although LaLiga xG stats suggest they aren’t playing quite as badly as their tally of just one win suggests. Bertug Yildirim should be fit enough to start this game up top, which will most likely have a knock-on impact with Christantus Uche dropping into midfield, while Allan Nyom may drop back to right-back.
Getafe predicted lineup: Soria – Rico, Alderete, Djene, Nyom – Sola, Arambarri, Milla, Perez – Uche – Yildirim (4-4-1-1)
Real Valladolid have a full squad to pick from him, although Darwin Machis’ late return from international duty with Venezuela suggests he won’t feature heavily in this Friday night affair. They picked up a decent point against Athletic last time out and could go with a similar eleven here, although there’s only really a handful of players who have established themselves as essential parts of this side.
Real Valladolid predicted lineup: Hein – Rosa, Juma Bah, Torres, Sanchez, Luis Perez – Anuar, Kike Perez, Juric, Moro – Sylla (5-4-1)
Saturday 23rd November 2024
14:00 – Valencia vs Real Betis
Four weeks have passed since Valencia last played, with two games postponed due to the terrible floods in the surrounding areas of the city. That means that Pepelu is still suspended and it may take them a bit of time to find match sharpness again after such a long break. They’ve also lost Thierry Correia to an ACL injury which could rule him out for the remainder of the campaign, with Dimitri Foulquier set to fill in.
Valencia predicted lineup: Mamardashvili – Gasiorowski, Tarrega, Mosquera – Gaya, Guerra, Barrenechea, Foulquier – Rioja, Diego Lopez – Duro (3-4-2-1)
Betis have been going along quite nicely with a 4-4-2 system, but top scorer Giovani Lo Celso’s return to fitness may spark a shift to their more familiar 4-2-3-1 here. They are a bit short on other central midfield options though, with William Carvalho and Johnny Cardoso both out, so Pablo Fornals may need to fill in centrally.
Real Betis predicted lineup: Silva – Perraud, Natan, Llorente, Sabaly – Altimira, Fornals – Abde Ez, Lo Celso, Ruibal – Roque (4-2-3-1)
16:15 – Atletico Madrid vs Alaves
With this being a favourable home game and with a Champions League trip to Prague in three days, Diego Simeone may opt to hold most of his sizable South American contingent back here following a busy international fortnight. That should mean Pablo Barrios and Koke continue as the central midfield pairing, while Alexander Sorloth or Angel Correa may be preferred to Julian Alvarez up top. Marcos Llorente is fit again and may start.
Atletico Madrid predicted lineup: Oblak – Galan, Lenglet, Witsel, Llorente – Lino, Barrios, Koke, Simeone – Griezmann, Sorloth (4-4-2)
It’s six defeats in seven in LaLiga for Alaves heading into this, and they’ll do well to take anything from their trip to the Estadio Metropolitano. They were beaten 3-0 at Villarreal last time out, so Luis Garcia may well make changes. Aleksandar Sedlar could be in line for a recall in defence. Joan Jordan, Toni Martinez, Stoichkov and Tomas Conechny are other options, with some of those players likely to come in.
Alaves predicted lineup: Sivera – Sanchez, Sedlar, Abqar, Tenaglia – Blanco, Jordan – Conechny, Guridi, Vicente – Toni Martinez (4-2-3-1)
18:30 – Girona vs Espanyol
Of all the teams in LaLiga, Girona probably benefited from the international break the most, with the likes of Ivan Martin, Alejandro Frances, Viktor Tsygankov and Yaser Asprilla returning to fitness. A number of others are close too, so Michel has more options this weekend. They did win 1-0 at Getafe last time out despite all the injury problems, but they only had three shots in that game, and we should see at least a couple of changes here, with Martin and Tsygankov the most obvious candidates to return.
Girona predicted lineup: Gazzaniga – Miguel Gutierrez, Blind, David Lopez, Arnau – Romeu, Martin – Gil, Van de Beek, Tsygankov – Miovski (4-2-3-1)
It’s three weeks since Espanyol’s last match, which was also an away Catalan derby. They lost 3-1 to Barcelona in that game, but may go with a slightly more adventurous system here, with Manolo Gonzalez likely to recall either Alejo Veliz or Walid Cheddira to partner Javi Puado in attack. Fernando Calero and Jose Gragera are both out injured.
Espanyol predicted lineup: Joan Garcia – Romero, Cabrera, Kumbulla, El Hilali – Carreras, Kral, Lozano, Tejero – Puado, Veliz (4-4-2)
18:30 – Las Palmas vs Mallorca
It is four wins from five for Las Palmas since they appointed Diego Martinez, although they have ridden their luck at times and faced 34 shots in their 3-1 win at Rayo last time out. Given those results, and particularly the miserable winless run that preceded it, there’s little reason for Martinez to do anything different here. With a full squad to pick from, it could be the same players again, although Jose Campaña and Manu Fuster are both pushing for a starting role, with the latter scoring off the bench in Vallecas.
Las Palmas predicted lineup: Cillessen – Alex Muñoz, McKenna, Suarez, Rozada – Javi Muñoz, Essugo – Moleiro, Kirian, Sandro – Fabio Silva (4-2-3-1)
Mallorca are going through their first sticky patch following the summer appointment of Jagoba Arrasate. His side haven’t scored in any of their last three league games, but they did compete pretty well against Atletico Madrid last time out. They’ve since lost right-back Pablo Maffeo to injury which may hand an opportunity to Antonio Sanchez. Otherwise it could be the same eleven, although there’s every chance Dani Rodriguez is preferred to Cyle Larin here.
Mallorca predicted lineup: Greif – Mojica, Raillo, Valjent, Antonio – Samu Costa, Morlanes – Dani Rodriguez, Darder, Navarro – Muriqi (4-2-3-1)
21:00 – Celta Vigo vs Barcelona
Without producing their best football, Celta got a decent point at Betis last time out, but with Claudio Giraldez in charge, that’s no guarantee that the same players will start here. Tasos Douvikas came off the bench to score in that game and it’s probably 50/50 between him and Borja Iglesias for the starting role up top. Hugo Alvarez is also pushing for a recall on the left flank.
Celta Vigo predicted lineup: Guaita – Alonso, Starfelt, Javi Rodriguez – Hugo Alvarez, Beltran, Sotelo, Mingueza – Bamba, Aspas – Douvikas (3-4-2-1)
Lamine Yamal has not recovered from his injury which means it’s likely to be a similar Barca eleven to the one that sunk to their second league defeat of the season at Real Sociedad last time out. There’s a good chance that Dani Olmo will return though, with Fermin Lopez or Frenkie de Jong likely to drop out. Robert Lewandowski is available despite not featuring for Poland in the Nations League.
Barcelona predicted lineup: Peña – Balde, Martinez, Cubarsi, Kounde – De Jong, Casado – Olmo, Pedri, Raphinha – Lewandowski (4-2-3-1)
Sunday 24th November 2024
14:00 – Osasuna vs Villarreal
It was a really poor performance from Osasuna at the Bernabeu a fortnight ago, but they remain in 5th place and with five wins from seven home games so far. Vicente Moreno won’t panic after one heavy defeat against obviously superior opponents. Juan Cruz is available again and could start at left-back ahead of Abel Bretones, but otherwise we could see the same eleven this weekend, with no notable injury problems.
Osasuna predicted lineup: Herrera – Cruz, Boyomo, Catena, Areso – Torro, Moncayola – Bryan Zaragoza, Oroz, Ruben Peña – Budimir (4-2-3-1)
For the visitors, Ayoze Perez, who is scoring at an even faster rate than Robert Lewandowski this season, is injured again. He won’t be out for long, but Ilias Akhomach tore his ACL a fortnight ago and could miss the remainder of the campaign. Marcelino will therefore need to make at least two changes from the 3-0 win over Alaves. We may even see a shift in system as a result of those injuries with Thierno Barry likely to lead the line, although Gerard Moreno is fit again and should be involved in some capacity.
Villarreal predicted lineup: Conde – Cardona, Costa, Albiol, Femenia – Gueye, Parejo, Comesaña – Baena, Barry, Yeremi Pino (4-3-3)
16:15 – Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano
It’s two defeats on the spin for Sevilla and they’ll be missing Lucien Agoume to suspension here after his red card at Leganes last time out. Orjan Nyland is still out, so Alvaro Fernandez will continue in goal for at least one more game, but Loic Bade is fit again and is expected to start in central defence. Juanlu will be hoping to get an opportunity in midfield, while Garcia Pimienta is expected to keep faith with Isaac Romero, despite the striker’s failure to score so far this season in LaLiga.
Sevilla predicted lineup: Fernandez – Pedrosa, Marcao, Bade, Carmona – Gudelj, Lokonga, Juanlu – Peque, Romero, Lukebakio (4-3-3)
Abdul Mumin is available again for Rayo and looks nailed on to return in defence after a 3-1 home defeat last time out. Unai Lopez could also come back into the midfield in place of Gerard Gumbau. Sergi Guardiola, James Rodriguez and Adri Embarba are options should Iñigo Perez opt for changes in attacking areas, but he may keep faith with the players that created plenty against Las Palmas a fortnight ago.
Rayo Vallecano predicted lineup: Batalla – Chavarria, Mumin, Lejeune, Ratiu – Unai Lopez, Valentin – Alvaro Garcia, Isi Palazon, De Frutos – Camello (4-2-3-1)
18:30 – Leganes vs Real Madrid
Leganes have won their last two at Butarque to raise optimism about their survival prospects. They did suffer a major blow a fortnight ago though, with Enric Franquesa tearing his ACL. Javi Hernandez may get the nod at left-back here as a result and they may even switch to a back five for the visit of neighbours Real Madrid. Renato Tapia is also an injury doubt, but that’s not a major issue given that Yvan Neyou, one of the best defensive midfielders in LaLiga this term, is available again following a ban.
Leganes predicted lineup: Dmitrovic – Javi Hernandez, Saenz, Nastasic, Sergio, Altimira – Cisse, Neyou, Brasanac – De la Fuente, Munir (5-3-2)
Los Blancos put in one of their best displays of the season last time out, cruising to a 4-0 win against Osasuna, but it was a disastrous afternoon on the injury front. They lost Eder Militao to another ACL injury, while Lucas Vazquez and Rodrygo also picked up injuries that will rule them out here. As a result, Real Madrid are desperately short on options in defence. Youngster Raul Asencio came on for Militao last time out and did well, suggesting he will play. Fede Valverde is expected to fill in at right-back for the next few games, which in turn should create space in midfield for Luka Modric or Dani Ceballos. With an important Champions League trip to Anfield to come on Wednesday, Ancelotti may go with the latter. Brahim Diaz looks the most likely candidate to fill in for Rodrygo on the right flank.
Real Madrid predicted lineup: Courtois – Garcia, Asencio, Rudiger, Valverde – Bellingham, Camavinga, Ceballos – Vinicius, Mbappe, Brahim (4-3-3)
21:00 – Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad
The headline act on Sunday is the big Basque derby at San Mames and we should see both teams go as strong as possible. Ernesto Valverde was missing some key players and surprisingly rested a number of others, in the 1-1 draw at Real Valladolid last time out. Gorka Guruzeta, Iñaki Williams, Yuri, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta and Dani Vivian should all return to the team for this one. Oihan Sancet’s participation is slightly more uncertain following injury.
Athletic Club predicted lineup: Agirrezabala – Yuri, Paredes, Vivian, De Marcos – Jauregizar, Ruiz de Galarreta – Nico Williams, Sancet, Iñaki Williams – Guruzeta (4-2-3-1)
There was a shock victory for Real Sociedad over Barcelona two weeks ago and while the controversy over Robert Lewandowski’s disallowed goal made many headlines, it was a top performance from La Real who were worthy of their victory. Imanol should have the option of picking the same eleven here, although Sergio Gomez and Javi Lopez are also strong alternative options on the left flank.
Real Sociedad predicted lineup: Remiro – Aihen, Aguerd, Zubeldia, Aramburu – Brais Mendez, Zubimendi, Sucic – Becker, Oyarzabal, Kubo (4-3-3)
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