Carlo Ancelotti needs to replace the suspended Jude Bellingham in the Real Madrid starting lineup against Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Real Madrid will look to march towards the league title when they welcome Celta Vigo to the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has a new roster issues to deal with ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Jude Bellingham will begin his two-match suspension after seeing red against Valencia due to his arguments with the referee. With Los Blancos failing to overturn his ban, the Englishman will miss out against Celta Vigo. In addition, Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba are the other players missing from the matchday squad.
Ancelotti spoke about Bellingham’s suspension during his pre-match press conference. The Real Madrid manager said, “We’ve appealed because we believe the sanction is overzealous and inappropriate.”
“He wasn’t insulting anyone, as is reflected in the report. They have looked at the way he approached the referee and I hope they haven’t singled him out because Bellingham protests in the same way as anyone else, in fact there are lots who do far worse.”
With Bellingham unavailable, Brahim Diaz should replace him in the starting lineup, featuring behind the two strikers. Ancelotti will also change his formation after deploying five midfielders against RB Leipzig. So, Rodrygo will return, pairing up with Vinicius Junior in the final third. Speaking of the Brazilian international, Ancelotti discussed him during his presser.
“I’ve looked back at the statistics and I’ve never seen a player who has been so poorly treated. He gets kicked, insulted, jeered… He scores goals and sets them up. I think everyone should rethink their attitudes towards Vini Jr. Never before has a player with that level of talent been so harshly treated. When something needs to be looked at, we don’t need to be making t-shirts.”
As for the midfield unit, Luka Modric should make a rare start, with Aurelien Tchouameni dropping into the backline. Modric will accompany Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde in the middle of the park. Meanwhile, Antonio Rudiger will be Tchouameni’s central defensive partner, with Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal being the full-backs. Finally, Andriy Lunin will take his spot between the sticks in Courtois’s absence.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Mendy; Valverde, Modric, Kroos; Diaz, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
