Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior will return to the Real Madrid starting lineup against Girona at Estadi Montilivi on Saturday.
Real Madrid will look to claim the top spot on the table when they travel to Estadi Montilivi to lock horns with Girona on Saturday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
David Alaba picked up a muscle injury earlier this week against UD Las Palmas. The Austrian international has joined Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and Arda Guler on the sidelines. Meanwhile, there were concerns surrounding Antonio Rudiger. But the German defender has shrugged off the knock to be in the travelling squad.
Ancelotti discussed Alaba, Rudiger, and Vinicius Junior during his pre-match press conference, suggesting Alaba’s injury is not serious. He said, “He underwent some tests but it’s nothing serious, just a bit of discomfort. We’ll try and get him back for Tuesday.”
“We’re in good shape, we’re playing a crucial match against the league leaders. We will try to perform at our best and we’re coming into it with morale high. We’ll have Rüdiger back, it wasn’t anything serious. The team is slightly fatigued but motivation is high and we’re going to put on a good display.”
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Ancelotti also confirmed Vinicius would start, saying, “He’s fine and he will play from the start. We’ll see how long he lasts. He could do the full 90, but it depends what we ask of him. I think he’s feeling great, he’s fully recovered and he’ll give us a lot. The other day I told him to be careful because we didn’t want to risk it. He wanted to play, he was sprinting flat out and I told him to look after himself.”
Vinicius Jr. will thus join Rodrygo Goes in the strike partnership, with Joselu and Brahim Diaz finding themselves on the bench. Jude Bellingham will also return to the starting lineup, playing behind the two attackers.
As for the midfield unit, Ancelotti should not change the first-choice trifecta, considering Saturday will be a top-of-the-table fixture. So, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Eduardo Camavinga will take their spots in the middle of the park. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will thus be on the bench again.
Meanwhile, Nacho should move into the heart of the Real Madrid defence due to Alaba’s injury. The veteran Spaniard will form the central defensive pairing alongside Rudiger, with Fran Garcia and Lucas Vazquez being the full-backs. Finally, Kepa Arrizabalaga will take his usual spot between the sticks.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Kepa; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Fran Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
