BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Real Madrid aims to bounce back from a La Liga defeat at home to Getafe on Monday that saw it lose its league lead.
Real Madrid may not be able to count on star forward Kylian Mbappe, who is out with a knee injury.
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Barcelona, meanwhile, face a tough match against Villarreal this weekend, days before trying to pull off a monumental comeback and retain their Copa del Rey crown.
key match
Mbappe, who leads the league with 23 goals, missed Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Benfica that sent his side into the last 16 of the Champions League.
But he was on the pitch in Pamplona last weekend when Osasuna beat Madrid 2-1. The defeat puts Barcelona back one point ahead of Madrid after 25 games.
Barcelona host third-placed Villarreal on Saturday, three days before they must travel to Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals and need to overturn a 4-0 defeat in their opening game.
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Players to watch
Vinicius Junior has scored five goals in his last four games for Madrid. If Mbappe is still absent, he will lead the team’s attack against Getafe’s usually stiff defense.
Atletico Madrid’s new striker Ademola Lookman has scored four goals since joining from Atalanta in the winter transfer market. Fourth-placed Atletico will face bottom-placed Real Oviedo on Saturday.
Mallorca forward Muric has scored 16 goals this season, ranking second in La Liga behind Mbappe. But his team sacked head coach Yagoba Alasate this week after falling into the relegation zone. It hosts Real Sociedad on Saturday.
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In addition to Mbappe, Real Madrid’s injured include Jude Bellingham, Eder Militao and Dani Ceballos.
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