Aurelien Tchouameni and Eden Hazard will start, but Karim Benzema will get some rest when Real Madrid and Cacereno meet on Tuesday.
Real Madrid will look to progress to the Copa del Rey Round of 16 when they lock horns with CP Cacereno at Estadio Principe Felipe on Tuesday night. And Carlo Ancelotti has rested several players ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Thibaut Courtois and Dani Carvajal are recovering from minor injuries and will not travel to Caceres. In addition, Ancelotti has rested Ferland Mendy, David Alaba, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Vinicius Junior, and Karim Benzema. But several academy graduates are a part of the travelling squad.
Ancelotti spoke about resting some pivotal players and giving exposure to youngsters during his pre-match press conference. The Real Madrid boss said, “Courtois and Carvajal have had minor niggles. They will be rested tomorrow and should be available for Villarreal.”
“Benzema, Vini Jr, Kroos, Alaba and Mendy won’t be getting any minutes either. We’ll be looking to put in the best possible performance. We will also take the academy players Arribas, Nico Paz, Marvel and Álvaro Rodríguez tomorrow.”
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“They’re playing very well with Castilla, where Raúl is doing a very good job. The youngsters are making very fast progress and not just these four, but also the likes of Mario Martín, Rafa Marín… The youth academy is producing players for the future of Real Madrid.”
Ancelotti should name a largely second-string starting lineup to take on Cacereno. And the young players will likely get some minutes off the bench. Andriy Lunin will take his spot between the sticks, with Real Madrid lining up in a 4-3-3 formation.
Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Odriozola should be the two full-backs, with the former being a makeshift left-back. Nacho and Jesus Vallejo should form the central defensive partnership, with Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger likely resting.
As for the midfield unit, Dani Ceballos will earn a second successive start, a rarity in his Real Madrid career. The Spaniard should join Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of the park. Sergio Arribas and Nico Paz will likely get some minutes off the bench.
Eden Hazard is running out of time at Real Madrid. But the Belgian attacker will get a chance to make his mark against Cacereno. Hazard will join Rodrygo Goes and Marco Asensio in the offensive unit. Alvaro Rodriguez will be a backup attacking option on the bench for Ancelotti.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Odriozola, Nacho, Vallejo, Vazquez; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Ceballos; Asensio, Rodrygo, Hazard
