Real Madrid will look to continue their impressive start to the season with a win over Osasuna on Sunday evening.
Real Madrid have picked up six wins from six La Liga matches so far in the 2022/23 season, and they will be overwhelming favourites heading into the contest against Osasuna on Sunday.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side will be boosted with the return of Karim Benzema as the Frenchman has recovered from his knock and is set to start here. Meanwhile, Osasuna are currently fifth in the league table and have picked up four wins from six league matches this season. They have the quality to trouble the home side and Real Madrid cannot afford to take their opposition lightly.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game in his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti has revealed that star striker Karim Benzema is back in training and is fit and ready for the game against Osasuna.
The Real Madrid manager said, “He’s in great shape, he’ll start tomorrow’s game. He’s trained well with the group all week. His fitness is absolutely fine because he’s had time to recover and get some energy back in his legs. He looks good to me and he’ll be playing.”
Real Madrid vs Osasuna Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
It is fair to assume that the Frenchman will be leading the line for Real Madrid against Osasuna, with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes on the flanks. Both Vinicius and Rodrygo have been in exceptional form in recent weeks and it would be a tad unfair to drop either of them.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti has also confirmed that veteran midfielder Luka Modric will miss out, but the Croatian midfielder should return in the midweek UEFA Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Real Madrid boss added, “Luka has had a slight issue, it’s nothing serious. He’s cutting it very fine to be able to play on Wednesday. He’ll start training with the team on Monday. We’ll have to see if he’s okay for Wednesday and if not, he’ll be back for the next league match.”
In his absence, Aurelien Tchouameni, Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde are expected to start in midfield three.
At the back, there are no notable injury concerns for Real Madrid and Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy should be deployed as the full-backs. At the heart of the Real Madrid defence, summer signing Antonio Rudiger is likely to partner David Alaba. Belgian international Thibaut Courtois will retain his place in goal.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Mendy; Tchouameni, Kroos, Valverde; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius
