Real Madrid: Luka Jovic returns, Eden Hazard out vs. Getafe

Real Madrid have a few major changes to their squad against Getafe.

On Thursday, Real Madrid will face one of the toughest teams in La Liga, as Jose Bordalas’ Getafe squad will travel to the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano to take on Los Blancos. And Real won’t have one of their best players on the pitch.

Real Madrid have announced that forwards Lucas Vazquez, who also serves as the backup right back for Dani Carvajal, and Luka Jovic are back in the squad after returning to practice this week. But superstar left winger Eden Hazard is a surprise exclusion.

Hazard has been getting hit a lot and fouled with incredible frequency, as defenses are targeting the quick-dribbling forward and attacking midfielder. The Belgian is likely being held out as a precautionary measure, but after the 100 million euro transfer suffered multiple serious injuries in 2019-2020, Los Blancos will continue to be extremely cautious with him as he enters what should be his prime years.

Los Blancos have a wonderful left winger in Vinicius Junior who has been playing better than anyone else in the team over the last few games, creating or scoring crucial goals in wins over Real Sociedad and Mallorca. He’ll likely take Hazard’s place in the starting lineup as he did in the big win over La Real.

Meanwhile, Jovic’s status will be interesting to monitor. Starts will be few and far between for Jovic, especially since he’s only just recovered from a fractured foot he suffered during quarantine. Plus, Karim Benzema is a matchwinner at the peak of his powers right now, having secured all three points with a legendary backheel assist at Espanyol on Sunday.

But Jovic could play a key role off the bench, as he’s scored and assisted in limited minutes as a substitute this season.

It’s tough to see Hazard out of the squad against a team like Getafe, but Real Madrid will have confidence that they can remain perfect and extend their lead at the top of La Liga to four points over Barcelona.