Toni Kroos and Luka Modric will return to the Real Madrid starting lineup against Chelsea on Wednesday.
Real Madrid will look to take a step closer to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals when they welcome Chelsea to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night. And Carlo Ancelotti has a near-full-strength squad at his disposal ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Ferland Mendy is the only absentee from the squad to face Chelsea on Wednesday. Otherwise, Ancelotti has a full-strength squad at his disposal. And the Italian tactician should recall the several regulars he rested against Villarreal this past weekend.
Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti spoke about how the squad remains motivated. He also addressed the controversy surrounding Federico Valverde due to an off-field incident while insisting the Uruguayan international is focused on the job at hand this week.
Ancelotti said, “It’s a group that gets on well with each other. They understand when it’s time to joke and when it’s time to be serious very well. Sometimes they have fun together, but they need no prompting when it’s time to be serious.”
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“Managing this dressing room is very easy for me. I manage it very well. I’m fantastic at management, but there are other things. This team is well put together and if we win the Copa del Rey we will have won every possible title in two seasons. There are teams that don’t manage that in a lifetime.”
“He’s [Valverde] well and motivated as is the whole team. He has been training well. I know him very well and he has spectacular and extraordinary human qualities. I don’t want to comment on what happened, but tomorrow he’s going to give his all, as always.”
Valverde should be one of several players returning to the starting lineup on Wednesday. And the 24-year-old should join Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in a new-look midfield unit. Meanwhile, Ancelotti will revert to the 4-3-3 formation after preferring the 4-2-3-1 in the last few games.
As for the defensive unit, Eder Militao will replace Antonio Rudiger as David Alaba’s central defensive partner. Meanwhile, Eduardo Camavinga will return as the left-back, with Dani Carvajal an automatic pick on the right flank. The backline will protect Thibaut Courtois, who is a certainty between the sticks.
The offensive unit will remain unchanged amid a raft of shuffles in the midfield and defence. So Karim Benzema will spearhead the Real Madrid attack against Chelsea. And Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo Goes will be the two wide attackers. That means Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard will be among the backup options on the bench.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Camavinga; Kroos, Modric, Valverde; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
