Rotated Madrid side beat Getafe ahead of Man City showdown

MADRID: Real Madrid warmed up for their decisive Champions League semifinal visit to face Manchester City with a 1-0 win over Getafe on Saturday in La Liga. The champions’ slim victory ensured leaders Barcelona must beat city rivals Espanyol on Sunday in Cornella to be able to clinch the title this weekend. Marco Asensio broke the deadlock in the 70th minute with a deflected strike from distance, in a game of few chances which did not get pulses racing.

Madrid’s win saw them climb provisionally second above Atletico Madrid, 11 points behind Barcelona. Carlo Ancelotti rotated heavily to keep his key players fresh ahead of the second leg battle with Pep Guardiola’s City, following the 1-1 draw last Tuesday in Madrid. Ancelotti lined up with just three of the side that started the first leg — goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde.

However Camavinga limped off in the final stages with knee pain sustained in a clash with Juan Iglesias. Ancelotti said the French midfielder would not take long to recover. “It’s just a hit, it’s a bit painful for him,” Ancelotti told DAZN, hinting there were no worries ahead of the City match.

“He’s 20, he will recover very quickly.” The most excitement Madrid supporters had in the first half was the team presenting the Copa del Rey trophy they won last weekend in Seville to the Santiago Bernabeu. Beyond that the opening period was devoid of action at either end, with Belgian forward Eden Hazard looking unsurprisingly flat on his first league start since September. A forgotten man at Madrid since his failed move from Chelsea in 2019, the 32-year-old winger showed no signs of life.