Without Kylian Mbappe for another match as their star striker deals with a knee injury, Alvaro Arbeloa’s Real Madrid will have to rely on their depth to get past Getafe as they look to draw within a point of Barcelona atop LaLiga. It has been a tight race between the duo, but Los Blancos may be peaking at the right time thanks to the form of Vinicius Junior, as the Brazilian is back to his best in 2026.
How to watch Real Madrid vs. Getafe, odds
- Date: Monday, March 2 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Bernabeau — Madrid, Spain
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Real Madrid -300; Draw +400; Getafe +900
Prior to January, Vinicius Junior only had five goals and seven assists in all competitions and was heavily underperforming his Expected goals of 8.17, but as the page has flipped to a World Cup year, things have shifted in a big way for Vini Jr., registering seven goals and two assists in only 11 matches played. This includes a current scoring streak where he has found the back of the net in five consecutive matches in all competitions, something that Getafe will have a hard time stopping in Monday’s match.
Trying to stay out of the relegation zone, Getafe’s defense has gotten the job done, allowing only 29 goals in 25 matches played, but their attack has struggled, scoring only 20 goals in that same span. While Real Madrid’s defense has allowed chances on counterattacks, it’s hard to see Getafe taking advantage of those in a match that will very much be one-way traffic at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid may have only kept one clean sheet in their last five matches, but outscoring their opposition 10 to five will get the job done even when the defense isn’t, and that’s with or without Mbappe.
Real Madrid are doing the right thing in ensuring that the French striker spends as much time as he needs to on the sideline, and with their season ambitions hanging on his shoulders, it’s the right thing to do.
“We will take it day by day and monitor the progress. He will see how he feels, how he recovers, and how the evolution goes,” Arbeloa said about Mbappe’s recovery. “At this moment, it is better not to set deadlines because it’s essentially discomfort, and we need to proceed day by day to see how he feels, and based on that, we will make decisions. We want him to return at 100%, and when that happens, he will come back.”
Mbappe has an astonishing 38 goals in only 33 appearances in all competitions as he’s on track to outdo his debut season at Real Madrid, where he netted 44 goals in 59 appearances, but this time without the star man, is important too. Vinicius Junior being able to take over the attack while players like Arda Guler step up will only make Real Madrid stronger in the long run, which is a scary proposition for teams around the world.
