An injury-hit Real Madrid side will be aiming to bounce back strongly from three consecutive defeats, when they take on Real Valladolid on Sunday.
Real Madrid travel to the Estadio Jose Zorrilla this weekend, as they gear up to face off against 16th-placed Real Valladolid in matchweek 27 of the 2018-19 La Liga.
After what has been a rather disastrous week, during which they were sent packing from the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League and their slim hopes of a La Liga title push were also blown away, Santiago Solari’s men will be hoping to get back to winning ways and get things back on track.
However, Real Madrid’s bid to make things right hasn’t been helped a horde of injuries that has seen a number of players getting ruled out of the upcoming tie. Right-back Dani Carvajal is likely to miss the rest of the season, after picking up an injury in the defeat to Ajax earlier this week.
To compound Madrid’s misery club captain Sergio Ramos is suspended for the tie as well, meaning Raphael Varane and Nacho Fernandez should start at the heart of the defence again, while Alvaro Odriozola is set to step in for the injured Carvajal on the right. Sergio Reguilon is expected to continue as the left-back ahead of Marcelo.
Midfield anchorman Marcos Llorente is still not ready to return to action which means Casemiro will continue to operate as the holding midfielder for Real Madrid, in spite of a string of unconvincing displays.
Toni Kroos has been very sloppy in recent matches for Los Blancos and was one of their main culprits for the hammering received at the hands of Ajax. So, the German could be dropped for the game against Valladolid, to be replaced by Dani Ceballos, who hasn’t started a game for some time now. Luka Modric is expected to hold on to the third midfield slot.
Attack is where Real Madrid have been hit worse with injuries as Lucas Vazquez is set for a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, while Gareth Bale too, is a doubt for the game. The Welshman trained indoors ahead of the weekend game, along with Mariano Diaz.
The biggest blow, however, comes from the fact that Vinicius Junior, who has been Real Madrid’s in-form player of late, is set for an extended spell on the treatment table. Marco Asensio should replace the teenage wonderkid on the left-flank for the trip to Valladolid.
With Bale and Vazquez unavailable, Isco would have been the natural pick to start on the right wing. But, Solari hinted in his press conference that the Spaniard, whose future at the club is up in the air, will not be featuring, after having been dropped out of the matchday squad against Ajax.
“Disciplinary matters are dealt with internally and in private. To play you’ve firstly got to be in good shape fitness-wise and then get up to speed in terms of match competitiveness,” the manager said about Isco in his pre-match presser.
This should open up a window of opportunity for January signing Brahim Diaz to make a rare appearance on Sunday night. Spearheading the attack for Real Madrid will be Karim Benzema, who has gone without a goal in the last three matches.
