Rodrygo Goes and Dani Ceballos will start, but Luka Modric will be unavailable to represent Real Madrid against Villarreal on Thursday.
Real Madrid will look to seal a place in the Copa Del Rey quarter-finals when they lock horns with Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica on Thursday night. And Carlo Ancelotti has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Dani Carvajal has sustained an injury that will keep him sidelined for some time. The Spaniard has joined David Alaba, Lucas Vazquez, and Aurelien Tchouameni on the sidelines. In addition, Ancelotti has omitted Luka Modric from the travelling squad.
During his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti spoke about Modric’s omission. The Real Madrid boss also talked about the players that are absent through injury while confirming Thibaut Courtois and Karim Benzema’s participation.
Ancelotti said, “We didn’t expect to pick up injuries that have affected us a bit, like the ones to Tchouameni, Alaba and Lucas Vázquez. January is a complicated month and it was natural that we wouldn’t be at full strength. We have to hang in there for this month and these matches. We’re up against strong teams who’re playing well, but we’re never going to give up.”
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“I’m convinced that we’re going to turn this situation around and I’m optimistic that it’s happening tomorrow. We’re going to turn it around and it won’t be too late. Courtois and Benzema will both play. Kroos is doing very well and is in good shape. After Modric returned from the World Cup, his condition isn’t ideal, but he’ll gradually play his part until the end of the season.”
Courtois should take his spot between the sticks, with Real Madrid lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him. Nacho will likely replace Dani Carvajal as the right-back, with Ferland Mendy continuing on the left flank. Meanwhile, Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger should form the central defensive partnership.
One crucial decision for Ancelotti is finding a replacement for Tchouameni. Speaking on the topic, he said, “We think that in some games, when we have more control of the ball, Kroos can be more useful playing deeper, but in others, a more positional defensive midfielder would be more effective for the team. Camavinga could be an option in this case, without Tchouameni, as he has that profile.”
Camavinga should start at the base of the midfield, with Toni Kroos reprising his usual playmaking role. Kroos and Camavinga should line up alongside Dani Ceballos in the middle of the park, with Federico Valverde earning some rest.
As for the offensive unit, Ancelotti should name his strongest trifecta for the Villarreal game. So Benzema should spearhead the Real Madrid attack against the Yellow Submarine. Finally, Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior will likely be the two wide attackers. And Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard will be backup options on the bench.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Nacho, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Kroos, Camavinga, Ceballos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
