Vinicius Tobias and Alvaro Carrillo will make their first-team debuts when Real Madrid and Arandina clash in the Copa del Rey on Saturday.
Real Madrid will hope to reach the Copa del Rey Round of 16 when they lock horns with Arandina at Estadio El Montecillo on Saturday. And Carlo Ancelotti has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Dani Carvajal, Eduardo Camavinga, and Vinicius Junior have resumed training, with Carvajal and Camavinga joining the travelling squad. But Lucas Vazquez is out for the foreseeable future after picking up a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, the travelling squad contains Alvaro Carrillo and Vinicius Tobias, with the duo in line to make their respective debuts for Real Madrid. But Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, and David Alaba remain on the sidelines. Ancelotti provided an update on his squad during his pre-match press conference while discussing other issues.
He said, “Mendy is not yet in the squad, but he is available for the Super Cup. Camavinga is available. Kroos picked up a small ankle problem against Mallorca, but he’ll be in Arabia. Güler is available today and it’s possible that he could start the game. Carvajal is an option there [centre-back positions] and Nacho is also coming back. Carrillo is training well and he’s with us. Tchouameni needs to rest.”
“I’m not talking about a game featuring changes. It’ll be a difficult game, like last year’s match against Cacereño. We have to take it seriously tomorrow because it’s going to be difficult, but we’ll try to win the game because it’s a competition that we’re very interested in. I might make some changes due to fatigue, as we played on Wednesday night, but the team will be competitive all the same.”
Despite Ancelotti’s comments, he should make several changes to the starting lineup. Carrillo and Vinicius Tobias should make their Real Madrid debuts. The duo will join Nacho and Fran Garcia in the backline, with Kepa Arrizabalaga taking his spot between the sticks.
The midfield unit should see a few changes, with Nico Paz and Dani Ceballos starting. The duo will join Luka Modric in the middle of the park, with Arda Guler reprising the no. 10 role. Guler will thus make his debut for Real Madrid, taking his place behind Brahim Diaz and Joselu.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Kepa; Tobias, Nacho, Carrillo, Fran Garcia; Ceballos, Modric, Paz; Guler; Brahim, Joselu
