Karim Benzema will be in contention to feature when Real Madrid and Celtic face off at the Santiago Bernabeu in a UEFA Champions League tie on Wednesday.
Real Madrid will hope to clinch the top spot in Group F of the UEFA Champions League when they welcome Celtic to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night. And Carlo Ancelotti has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
The good news is that Karim Benzema is available after recovering from a muscular injury. But Aurelien Tchouameni remains on the sidelines due to the physical discomfort he has been experiencing. In addition, Eden Hazard is not in the matchday squad.
Otherwise, Ancelotti has a full-strength squad at his disposal ahead of the game against Celtic. The Real Madrid boss spoke about Tchouameni and Benzema during his pre-match press conference. But the Italian tactician did not reveal if Benzema would start on Wednesday.
“Tchouameni won’t be available tomorrow and Benzema is going to train now. If he feels good, he’ll be in the squad. I’ll then have to see if he starts the game or comes on later. We’ll see after training.”
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“I think Benzema hasn’t played because he didn’t feel right because of a couple of knocks. He’s not a kid, he looks after himself well, but sometimes he can’t be available. A player needs to be playing in order to go to the World Cup in the best physical condition.”
Ancelotti might not risk Benzema, considering the Frenchman has been battling minor niggles all through the season. So Rodrygo Goes should spearhead the Real Madrid attack against Celtic. Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde will thus continue as the wide attackers, with Marco Asensio an option on the bench.
As for the midfield unit, Tchouameni’s absence means Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modric will retain their spots in the middle of the park. Kroos will be unavailable for Real Madrid’s game against Rayo Vallecano and should play the entire 90 minutes on Wednesday.
The only changes to the starting lineup will likely come in the backline. Ferland Mendy should retain his spot as the left-back, but Lucas Vazquez should replace Dani Carvajal. Meanwhile, Eder Militao and Nacho will come in for David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger. Finally, Thibaut Courtois picks himself between the sticks.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Nacho, Mendy; Modric, Camavinga, Kroos; Valverde, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.