Real Madrid v Getafe: Ancelotti banned in potential Bernabeu farewell

Real Madrid round off a disappointing end to the Liga season against Getafe on Saturday, in what is widely speculated to be Carlo Ancelotti’s final match as head coach.

Madrid were seeing off all comers during a record-breaking 22-match winning streak before the mid-season break.

However, the campaign has tailed off for Madrid and Barcelona’s 1-0 victory at previous champions Atletico Madrid means the Liga title is heading to Camp Nou for the seventh time in the last 10 years.

Real have won eight of their past nine league matches, but the writing was on the wall from the moment they lost March’s Clasico 2-1 in Barcelona.

Disappointment in the league has been compounded by the fact Real have also relinquished their Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League crowns this term.

Subsequently, the future of coach Ancelotti has been plunged into doubt, with many tipping Real to bring his two-year stay in the Spanish capital to an end.

It means the Italian has possibly sat in the Real dugout for the last time as he continues to serve a touchline ban.

Real, who last won the title under Jose Mourinho in 2012, will at least try and finish their campaign off in style against fellow Madrid side Getafe.

January’s reverse fixture ended in a 3-0 victory for Real, in a match that saw Cristiano Ronaldo score two of his astonishing return of 45 Liga goals this term.

Ominously, Ronaldo has faced Getafe four times at the Bernabeu in his career with a goal return of nine.

Striker Karim Benzema is absent for Real, though, the France international has been hampered by injuries recently and will miss out this time with a torn thigh.

For Getafe, there is nothing riding on the result of the match as they are safe from the threat of relegation.

Pablo Franco Martin’s side flirted with the drop after losing five straight matches, a run that only came to an end in a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Eibar last weekend.

With much uncertainty at Real, Getafe may see this as the ideal time to win at the Bernabeu for the first time since February 2008, but attacking midfielder Pablo Sarabia is expecting a typically tough encounter.

“It’s never a good time to go to the Bernabeu,” he said. “But the important thing is we are safe.

“We will try to make the match as even as possible. The team is confident.”