When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Real Madrid will be keen to build momentum at the beginning of the long La Liga season with their first away trip against Girona on Sunday evening. Los Blancos sealed a 2-0 win over Getafe in their season opener at the Bernabeu, but will be desperate to keep impressing without Cristiano Ronaldo following his move to Juventus. Gareth Bale looks set to become the main man in Madrid and has already opened his goalscoring account for the season. He will start on the right of the front three alongside Karim Benzema and Isco, though Marco Asensio will battle the latter for a regular starting spot throughout the season.<doc-sep>Real Madrid revealed their squad list for Sunday night’s away match against Girona, one which could be a tough one for Los Blancos. REAL MADRID SQUAD: Goalkeepers: Keylor Navas, Courtois and Casilla. Defenders: Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo and Odriozola. Midfielders: Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, M. Llorente, Asensio, Isco and Ceballos. Forwards: Benzema, Bale, Lucas Vázquez and B. Mayoral. Madrid can’t afford to drop points this early in the season, so they have to find a way to win the game. Girona won’t be easy to beat and Los Blancos have the quality to be considered the favorites to win, but this will be an important test to see if Lopetegui has the tools and the players he needs to win on a consistent basis in this 2018-19 La Liga season. Reports suggest that Thibaut Courtois could be starting his first game for Madrid but Lopetegui might wait until the end of the upcoming FIFA break. Official lineups will be published one hour before the match kicks off. HOW TO WATCH, STREAM LA LIGA Date: 08/26/2018 Time: 22:15 CEST, 04:15pm EST, 01:15pm Pacific. Venue: Montilivi, Girona, Spain Available TV: BeIN Sports (USA), BeIN La Liga (Spain). Available Streaming: BeIN Sports (USA),Fubo.TV (EVERY Real Madrid game with a high-quality and legal stream, click here to sign up and benefit from a discount for new members).<doc-sep>The European champions return to the place they lost 2-1 last season and their hosts are targeting another upset Real Madrid may not have been able to replace Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, but Julen Lopetegui's men will be determined to show they are strong enough without him when they face Girona on Sunday. Despite losing the UEFA Super Cup to city rivals Atletico Madrid, the European champions started the Liga season well by beating Getafe 2-0 in their first game. With Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio leading the attack, they are capable of threatening any team in La Liga, but Girona showed last season that they can stand up to the Blancos in their own stadium and will be looking to stop the visitors. Game Girona vs Real Madrid Date Sunday, August 26 Time 9.15pm BST / 4.15pm ET TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch In the United States (US), the game can be watched live on beIN SPORTS and streamed on beIN SPORTS Connect. US TV channel Online stream beIN SPORTS beIN SPORTS Connect In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be shown and live-streamed on Eleven Sports. UK TV channel Online stream Eleven Sports 1 Eleven Sports Squads & Team News Position Girona players Goalkeepers Bounou, Iraizoz Defenders Espinosa, Juanpe, Muniesa, Ramalho, Alcala, Mojica, Aday, Planas Midfielders Pons, Timor, Garcia, Granell, Portu, Borja Garcia, Porro Forwards Roberts, Izquierdo, Stuani, Lozano Johan Mojica has been ruled out with an injury, while Cristhian Stuani is a doubt for this game. Potential Girona XI: Bounou; Espinosa, Muniesa, Juanpe, Borja Garcia; Timor, Portu, Granell, Garcia; Porro, Stuani. Position Real Madrid players Goalkeepers Navas, Casilla, Courtois, Defenders Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Nacho, Odriozola Midfielders Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, M. Llorente, Ceballos, Isco, Asensio Forwards Benzema, Bale, Vazquez, Mayoral Jesus Vallejo has been left out of the squad through injury, while Vinicius Jr. is another notable omission. Potential Real Madrid XI: Navas: Carvajal, Nacho, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Casemiro, Isco: Bale, Benzema, Asensio. Betting & Match Odds Real Madrid are priced at odds of 1/7 to take the win, as priced by bet 365, while a draw is available at 13/2. A win for Getafe is priced at 16/1. Click here to see all of bet 365's offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more. Match Preview Gareth Bale and Dani Carvajal were on target last week as Real Madrid started the league campaign with a victory, but Julen Lopetegui's men may face a more strenuous test in the second game. Girona finished 10th in La Liga last term and even beat the Cristiano Ronaldo-led team in the Estadi Montilivi last year. Although they were held to a draw by newly-promoted Real Valladolid last week, Girona defender Bernardo Espinosa says his side will be more hyped up for Sunday's clash. Article continues below "We're very excited because it's a special game, with a different flavour," he said. "We hope to repeat that great day that we gave to the fans last season, it was unforgettable, a historic feat. We entered the history of Girona." But midfielder David Timor was quick to stress that repeating the achievement will be tough. "If we believe that it will be easy to repeat the feat of last year, we are wrong," he told reporters. "Madrid is a great team with and without Cristiano Ronaldo. It's clear that it will be very difficult to replace him, but all their players are good."<doc-sep>
The Julen Lopetegui era is well underway, and the players looked calm and relaxed throughout the week in training. A defeat in the UEFA Super Cup final is already a distant memory, Los Blancos preferring to concentrate on how well they played against Getafe in the opening league game of the campaign. With a week left to go of the transfer window in Spain, Lopetegui still wants to sign another striker, though his battle of wills with Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, is likely to go right to the wire, with the board believing that the squad is fine just as it is. After the way they swept Getafe aside, it’s hard to disagree. Stuani and Portu the danger men Last season, Real Madrid were shocked when Girona emerged with a 2-1 victory at the Estadio Montilivi. On that occasion, Cristhian Stuani and Portu were a threat all game, and once again the pairing will be looked to, to provide the spark for the home team. The former makes a great target man, and though Sergio Ramos is more than capable of dealing with his aerial ability, Portu could have the measure of either Raphael Varane or Nacho when he decides to come inside. Real need to ensure both players are marked tightly throughout because they’ll only need one chance between them to get off the mark for the season. Bale to continue his good work When Gareth Bale scored against Getafe, it was the third season in a row in which he’d netted in the opening game of a season. The Welshman normally follows it up with a handful of strikes in the next few fixtures, and if he’s allowed to get into his (galloping) stride here, woe betide Girona. The Catalans simply don’t have anyone that can live with the winger for pace, so their only hope of curtailing his forays down the right is if Aleix Garcia and Marc Muniesa double up. Should Lopetegui allow his front three some freedom, then Bale popping up on the left will be a feature too, and he’ll cause more havoc there.