The big game of MD8 sees Real Madrid make the trip to Catalonia to take on high-flying Girona. The hosts currently occupy second place in the La Liga table, with Los Blancos close behind in third.
Real Madrid will hope to leapfrog both Girona and Barcelona to sit at the summit of the table, which they can do with a victory. They will fancy their changes of doing so, especially with some key players returning to the starting line-up.
Vinicius Junior makes his return to the XI, his first start since MD3 against Celta Vigo. Jude Bellingham also starts, having been rested against Las Palmas on Wednesday. Dani Carvajal and Toni Kroos also come into the team, with David Alaba, Ferland Mendy, Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo dropping out.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro 𝗫𝗜 inicial 🆚 @GironaFC_ES! @UnicajaBanco | #GironaRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/AkYgxvbheV
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 30, 2023
Girona make two changes from the side that defeated Villarreal midweek. Daley Blind and Yan Couto start, with Arnau Martinez and Ivan Martin dropping out.
It will be a big test for Real Madrid, as Girona are the form side in La Liga at the moment. They lost 4-2 to the Catalans last season, and they will hope to avoid a similar result this time around.
Image via Jorge Guerrero/AFP via Getty Images
