Real Madrid have started their first La Liga campaign without their talismanic forward Cristiano Ronaldo in what has been almost a decade, but that does not seem to have slowed their progress down. The Galacticos won their first two matches of the season against Getafe and Girona FC by 2-0 and 4-1 respectively.
The new Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui has been marshalling his troops pretty well so far, and the next opponents that the Los Blancos would face is Leganes. Leganes have not been able to get the start they wanted so far this term and have succumbed to a loss at the hands of Athletic Bilbao in their first match of the campaign while the second one saw them draw against Real Sociedad. It does not look like their fate is going to change much when they face an in-form Real Madrid in the next match.
Lopetegui has a fully fit squad at his disposal as he goes into the match and it is expected that he would go in with an unchanged team who have performed well this season so far. This is how the former Spanish national team manager would line up against Leganes in our estimation.
Predicted Formation: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois is expected to extend his stay on the bench as Lopetegui would put his trust in Keylor Navas and hand him with the responsibility of guarding the Real Madrid goal. The custodian from Costa Rica has dished out two superb performances in the matches so far in the La Liga.
Defence
The centre-half pairing would consist of captain Sergio Ramos and Nacho Fernandez in the heart of the defence, while Raphael Varane might come on as a substitute. Though the Spanish defenders have not been able to keep the opposition attackers at bay so far this season, the manager might look to take one more chance with them against a team with a comparatively weaker attack.
Marcelo and Dani Carvajal should retain their places in the left back and right back position respectively.
Midfield
Lopetegui has gone in with Isco ahead of Luka Modric so far this season, and it seems he is going to start with the same midfielders again. The Spaniard would be supported by Tony Kroos and Casemiro, who has been influential in both the victories.
Attack
While Karim Benzema will lead the line with Gareth Bale by his side, Marco Asensio should also keep his place on the left-hand side of the attack. The trio has looked good so far this season. Lopetegui would hope to see another clinical performance from his new-look attack.
