Madrid hoping for more treats than tricks

Real Madrid will be out to avoid a Halloween nightmare when local rivals Leganés visit the Santiago Bernabéu in LaLiga. On paper, the match should bring a much-needed three points for Zinedine Zidane and his men with Leganés propping up the table with just one victory to their name this season. It will be the first league outing for Los Blancos since their 1-0 reverse at lowly Mallorca, however, leaving Madridistas knowing full well that there is no such thing as an easy three points in LaLiga this season. Madrid chalked up a 1-0 win at Galatasaray in the Champions League a week ago, boosting the confidence in a fragile squad, and the Bernabéu crowd will accept nothing less than a convincing win if Madrid are to mount a title challenge this season. Barcelona showcased their title credentials as Lionel Messi inspired a 5-1 thrashing of Real Valladolid on Tuesday night, leaving Madrid four points adrift of the league leaders with tonight's game in hand. Madrid are set to be without the injured Gareth Bale and James Rodríguez, who recently became a father and has been absent from recent training sessions, while Vinicius has been left out of the squad, leaving fellow Brazilian Rodrygo a likely starter.