Gonzalo Garcia will replace Kylian Mbappe in the Real Madrid starting lineup when they host Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
Real Madrid will aim to keep pace with Barcelona in the upper echelons of La Liga when they welcome Real Betis to the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday evening. Xabi Alonso has received a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Kylian Mbappe is the latest absentee after picking up a knee injury. The French international has joined Trent Alexander-Arnold and Eder Militao in the treatment room, with the defensive duo recovering from hamstring injuries.
Additionally, Brahim Diaz is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco. However, Dani Carvajal has resumed training and may be in the matchday squad this weekend. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Alonso provided fitness updates on Mbappe and Carvajal.
The Real Madrid manager said, “He [Carvajal] did the full training session today and he did so yesterday. We’ll decide on the squad tomorrow morning because there are things that we prefer to wait until there are certainties. In every team you need players who carry weight not only because of what they have experienced but also because of what they bring on and off the pitch or because of what they know how to deal with in difficult moments.”
“He is one of those. From the player who started in 2014 to the current one, he is just as competitive, but his personality, his influence and his weight in the team are huge. We would have liked to have had him for these two months, from the Barcelona game when he got injured to the last one against Sevilla, and I’m sure he would have contributed. Now we need to help him to find his best physical condition to help the team, but having him around helps us.”
Discussing Mbappe’s progress, the Real Madrid boss said, “We’ll be working towards the deadlines. It’s a lot about feelings and we’re going to do everything we can to be ready as soon as possible. When will it be? That’s the question. I don’t know.”
“In the next pre-match press conference I’ll tell you more clearly. We assess after each match and the player’s feelings and then we make decisions based on the needs. We have to see how he evolves and we are going to do everything we can to get him back as soon as possible.”
Thibaut Courtois is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Real Madrid lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against Real Betis on Sunday. The backline will feature Federico Valverde, Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger, and Alvaro Carreras.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Arda Guler, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Jude Bellingham. Finally, Gonzalo Garcia will replace Kylian Mbappe as the central striker, with Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior being the two wide attackers.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Valverde, Huijsen, Rudiger, Carreras; Bellingham, Tchouameni, Guler; Rodrygo, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius Junior
