Los Blancos sit nine points off the top of the league heading into the clash and feel that they may yet be able to snatch the Liga crown

With one foot into the quarter-finals of the Champions League secured following their controversial win over Ajax on Wednesday, Real Madrid return to domestic matters when they host Girona in La Liga on Sunday.

Santiago Solari’s side sit nine points off league leaders Barcelona with 15 games left this season – and Los Blancos will still harbour hopes of breaking the Catalan club’s stronghold on the title.

They host a side they defeated in the last eight of the Copa del Rey in January by an aggregate scoreline of 7-3 – but they will need to prevail once more without Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric.

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Game Real Madrid vs Girona
Date Sunday, February 17
Time 11:00am GMT / 6:00am ET
Stream (US only)
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), .

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US TV channel Online stream
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In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast on television. It will be available for streaming with Eleven Sports however.

UK TV channel Online stream
N/A Eleven Sports
Squads & Team News
Position Real Madrid squad
Goalkeepers Navas, Altube, Courtois
Defenders Carvajal, Vallejo, Ramos, Nacho, Marcelo, Odriozoloa, Reguilon
Midfielders Kroos, Casemiro, Valverde, Vazquez, Asensio, Ceballos, Brahim
Forwards Mariano, Benzema, Bale, Vinicius Junior
Santiago Solari will be without Luka Modric who sits out the clash through suspension, though Sergio Ramos will be available as his ban only extends to Champions League encounters.

Dani Ceballos, Casemiro and Toni Kroos are the likely midfield trio then in a 4-3-3 formation that may also see key strikers Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema rested.

Potential Real Madrid starting XI: Courtois; Odriozola, Vallejo, Ramos, Reguilon; Ceballos, Casemiro, Kroos; Vazquez, Asensio, Vinicius Junior.

Position Girona squad
Goalkeepers Bono, Iraizoz
Defenders Juanpe, Ramalho, Alcala, Raul García, Planas, Porro
Midfielders Pons, Aleix Garcia, Luiz, Portu, Granell, Borja Garcia
Forwards Fernandez, Stuani, Lozano
The visitors are looking to pick up their first win since November when they travel to the Champions League holders, though they are missing a host of key faces.

The absence of Johan Mojica at the back is likely to be a big blow for a side who have struggled this season to keep goals out.

Potential Girona starting XI: Bono; Juanpe, Alcaca, Ramalho; Fernandez, Aleix Garcia, Pons, Granell, Raul Garcia; Stuani, Portu.

Betting & Match Odds
Madrid are the favourites to pick up the three points on their own turf and are odds-on at 1/6 with bet365. Girona are priced a more distant 14/1 while a draw is available for half the length at 7/1.

Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

Match Preview
Thibaut Courtois Real Madrid 2018-19

With an away goal advantage achieved through their somewhat contentious victory against Ajax in the Netherlands midweek in the Champions League, Real Madrid remain on track to defend their European crown.

However, Los Blancos now return their attentions to domestic concerns as they look to keep the gap between them and key rivals Barcelona to a minimum in their pursuit of La Liga glory when they host Girona on Sunday.

The Catalan club lead Santiago Solari’s side by nine points heading into this match and remain odds-on favourites to retain their title.

Indeed, only four months ago, Ernesto Valverde’s outfit’s hopes of nabbing the crown again looked a foregone conclusion.

But since succeeding Julen Lopetegui in the hot seat at Santiago Bernabeu, Solari has managed to revive Madrid’s hopes – and the coach pledged to fight every step of the way in the title race last weekend following victory against rivals Atletico.

“Real Madrid fight for everything until the end - it's not over, it's historic,” he told reporters.

“Now we are second, now we have to keep this up and keep winning. We have our feet on the ground and know that we have to keep working.”

Fans may harbour hopes that the visit of Girona, a side they have already inflicted three heavy defeats upon this season, will be another routine win as the Solari experiment continues to build towards a potentially glorious crescendo.

But Madrid will be missing arguably their greatest asset, with Croatia captain and Ballon d’Or holder Luka Modric set to miss out through suspension.

The midfielder picked up a yellow card against Atletico last time out in La Liga that saw him handed a one-match suspension.


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The hosts will at least be able to call upon Sergio Ramos, who will serve a similar ban in the Champions League following a booking in Amsterdam on Wednesday – although the Spaniard could face a lengthier continental ban after appearing to admit he earned it intentionally to avoid missing a potential last eight match.

Eusebio Sacristan will meanwhile look to the past to inspire his side, with the memory of their shock 2-1 win in 2017 still likely to be fresh in their minds.

Cristhian Stuani, who netted in that famous victory, will be expected to be key to any chances of repeating the feat almost 16 months on.