Alvaro Arbeloa will hand one of Real Madrid's brightest prospects the chance to impress against Getafe tonight. That's according to Marca, who claim that Thiago Pitarch will start at the Bernabeu as Los Blancos look to get back to winning ways in La Liga.
A shock 2-1 loss to Osasuna last weekend has come with devastating consequences. Madrid surrended their lead at the top of the table, with Barcelona displacing them.
Barca beat Villarreal 4-1 on Saturday to move four points clear of their El Clasico rivals ahead of tonight's game against Getafe. It's vital that Arbeloa's side win as they enter the final stretch of the season.
Pitarch made his debut for Madrid's senior team in the 1-0 win over Benfica in the first-leg of their Champions League playoff. He has yet to make a La Liga appearance but is set to do so tonight with a start.
There is plenty of excitement over Pitarch who has starred for Castilla, posting one goal and two assists in 16 games across competitions. He caught the eye in a 5-2 win over Marseille in the UEFA Youth League.
Pitarch is a midfielder who Arbeloa knows from his time coaching the youth team before replacing Xabi Alonso as caretaker manager in January. It's said that he has "long been Pitarch's number one supporter."
The Spanish coach believes he has a "player for the ages" and wants to make the 18-year-old a regular first-team star. Jude Bellingham and Dani Ceballos will be absent against Getafe due to injury.
Eduardo Camavinga sat out Madrid's training session ahead of the game due to a toothache. It might be the Frenchman who takes to the bench, allowing Pitarch to start his first league game.
Pitarch is Madrid's future
The club's transfer strategy in recent years has been to focus on youth that can be developed into world class players. They have swooped for the likes of Arda Guler, 21, Franco Mastantuono, 18, and Endrick, 19.
Pitarch is a product of Madrid's academy but is expected to be a long-term star at the Bernabeu. When he was called up by Alonso for pre season last summer he earned plenty of praise from the former Los Blancos coach:
"When he started training with us, I liked him practically from the first day. He’s very dynamic, has great energy, and knows how to play between the lines.”
Pitarch will be eager to impress if he does indeed start against Getafe. He needs to stay focused at the job at hand though because it's a must-win game in the title race.