Los Blancos face a Levante side that is struggling to score goals, or stop teams from scoring goals against them.
After a bit of a slow start to the season, Real Madrid have caught fire in league play firing off four straight wins leading in to the international break. Even better than the winning streak was the absurd number of goals, 20, Los Blancos scored in that stretch. We always knew that the Madrid offense would be potent, but they've managed to find an entire new level of goal scoring.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been a big part of that with multiple hat-tricks during the run , needing just one more to become the all-time leading scorer of hat-tricks in La Liga history. Ronaldo is also one goal away from becoming just the third player in league history to score 14 goals in the opening eight rounds of matches.
In Madrid's way is Levante who entered the break 17th, just a point out of the drop zone. Things have not been going well for Les Granotes whose offense has been impotent, while their defense has allowed 15 goals against. That's a really bad stat when you're preparing to face Real Madrid.
Key Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
As good as Real Madrid is from top to bottom, especially in the attack, there's no one like Ronaldo. When he's out of the lineup, all of Madrid's high priced weapons seem a little less effective, a little less able to do the things they do best. Reinsert the Portuguese striker into the Madrid attack and everything clicks. His effect on the game, on his teammates, and on the opposing team is staggering.
Key Matchup:Levante's defense vs. Real Madrid's attack
This matchup is the obvious choice, but for good reason. Levante can't score goals and they've been letting their opponents score them at a ridiculous clip. There's zero reason to believe that will change on Saturday based on trends, but if the Frogs are to have any chance at all of getting a result, their defense needs to frustrate the hell out of Madrid. They need to clog up the passing lanes, stay compact and organized, and they have to do it for 90 minutes.
Levnate injuries and suspensions
Out: None
Real Madrid injuries and suspensions
Out: Sergio Ramos (calf), Jese Rodriguez (knee). In Doubt:Sami Khedira (knee).
Real Madrid will be without defender Sergio Ramos after he picked up a calf injury in international duty. Sami Khedira is back in training, and could make the bench for Saturday's match, though he's not quite ready to start.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 4 p.m. local, 10 a.m. ET
Venue: Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
TV: beIN Sports, beIN Sports en Español (U.S.), beIN Sports (Canada), C+ Liga Multi, Canal+ Liga / HD, GOL T (Spain)
Online: beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S.), beIN Sports CONNECT (Canada), Gol Stadium (Spain)