Real Madrid will face off against bottom side SD Huesca for the first time ever in La Liga at Estadio El Alcoraz on Sunday.
Real Madrid will be aiming to make progress in the La Liga standings, when they go head to head against last-placed Huesca this weekend. Currently seated fifth on the table, eight points adrift of leaders Barcelona, Los Blancos will be hoping to reduce the gap with a victory against the Aragonese outfit on Sunday.
Real Madrid manager Santiago Solari is likely to ring in the changes, having opted to rest a number of first-team regulars for his team’s 6-1 triumph over Melilla in the Copa Del Rey earlier this week.
Summer signing Thibaut Courtois is set for a return to the starting lineup, having been left out of the cup tie in favour of Keylor Navas. Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos will also be welcomed back into the team, with Jesus Vallejo and Javi Sanchez making way.
First-choice left-back Marcelo continues to recuperate from his injury and as a result, has been excluded from the matchday squad by the manager. That would mean Dani Carvajal is set to continue as the left-sided full-back for Los Blancos, with Alvaro Odriozola starting on the right.
Defensive midfielder Casemiro also continues to be unavailable for selection for the reigning European champions, meaning Marcos Llorente is in line for another start at the base of the midfield. Solari was full of praises for the Spaniard during his pre-match press conference ahead of the game.
“It’s true that Llorente hadn’t been involved much before and therefore you can never know quite how well he’s going to perform. It’s tough for the player, but the fact that he has featured in such big games and done so well is commendable and really speaks volumes of him as a professional,” the manager said.
Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric should feature from the get-go for the visitors, having not been involved in the midweek encounter. His fellow midfield partner Toni Kroos remains sidelined with a knee injury, however. Speaking of the German, the manager said, “Apparently he should be fine to play in the Club World Cup but it will be up to the doctors.”
Isco scored a brace in the cup tie, but is likely to start on the bench, with Dani Ceballos poised to get the nod in the middle of the park for the Merengues.
Gareth Bale is set for a return to the starting XI, having made a complete recovery from a minor problem he picked up against Valencia last weekend. He should feature out on the left flank, with Lucas Vazquez expected to start out on the right side, meaning there is no place for Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior, both of whom were on the scoresheet in the cup game.
Mariano Diaz has also been excluded from the 19-man matchday squad by the manager due to an injury. Karim Benzema should thus, come back into the starting lineup at the tip of the attack for Madrid.
