Real Madrid vs Real Valladolid
La Liga 2018-19
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu
Kick-off: 3:15pm GMT
TV/live stream: N/A in UK
Real Madrid caretaker coach Santiago Solari will oversee his first game at the Bernabeu on Saturday as Los Blancos host Real Valladolid - a side who sit two points above them in La Liga.
Real sacked Julen Lopetegui on Monday night following a disastrous run of form which culminated in a 5-1 Clasico thrashing at Barcelona, with the former Spain coach lasting just four months.
Solari secured his first win as caretaker coach in Wednesday night's 4-0 Copa del Rey win at Melilla, and another victory in La Liga on Saturday will boost his chances of a permanent contract as the club struggle to find a top-class successor to Lopetegui.
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Team news
Real Madrid will be without most of its defenders when it hosts Valladolid this weekend in its first Spanish league match without coach Julen Lopetegui.
Interim coach Santiago Solari will not be able to count on veteran left back Marcelo, central defender Raphael Varane and right back Dani Carvajal. They are all unavailable for Saturday's match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium because of injuries, as is reserve central defender Jesus Vallejo.
In attack, Solari also won't have reserve forward Mariano Diaz, although Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale are set to play.
Solari, in charge of Madrid since Lopetegui was fired on Monday following a series of poor results, is expected to stick to the second-stringers who helped the team defeat third-division club Melilla 4-0 in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.
Alvaro Odriozola, who scored his first goal with the main squad against Melilla, will likely remain at right back for Carvajal, while Sergio Reguilon will probably stay on the left for Marcelo.
"We never have indisputable players," Solari said Friday. "Of course we have more experienced players in the squad, but also some very good youngsters."
There had been hope Carvajal could recover from a muscle injury ahead of the Valladolid match, but he did not practice with the squad on Friday.
