. With Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez sidelined due to injuries, Rafael Benitez revealed that he could a mix things arounda in order to achieve the perfect balance in the starting eleven against Granada.
While the Welshman is expected to be out for a couple of weeks, there is no word on Sergio Ramosa date of return following his shoulder injury.
We mixed things around in training
As reported by AS, Benitez remained mum on his chosen replacements for the two injured players while revealing that he could mix things around against Granada.
a We mixed things around this morning at training, nothing is decided yet. All of the players are candidates for a place, we may look to strengthen the wings or keep things as they are.a
Both Kovacic and Jese Rodriguez are in contention along with Isco as James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale remain sidelined due to their respective injuries. Speaking about his new signing, Benitez hinted that he could give Kovacic a start due to his ability to adapt well a to the centre of the parka .
a He has great quality and is a dynamic player. He can adapt well to the centre of the park and thata s why he came on the other day. He has great passing vision and can help the rest of the midfield.a
Speaking about his defensive options, Benitez said that both Varane and Nacho are in contention to replace Sergio Ramos in the defence.
a This is undecided, although Varane is in great shape. As of today, our only objective is to beat Granada. Wea re not thinking ahead of that. This squad has a high level of quality and we should be going into our games with high confidence.a