Toni Kroos and Luka Modric will return when Real Madrid and Al Ahly face off at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday.
A place in the FIFA Club World Cup will be up for grabs when Real Madrid and Al Ahly meet at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has taken a weakened squad to Morocco for the competition.
Ferland Mendy, Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois, and captain Thibaut Courtois are the most notable absentees for the trip to Rabat. In addition, Lucas Vazquez and Eden Hazard are also missing from the travelling squad.
During his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti spoke about three of the missing players – Eder Militao, Courtois, and Benzema. And the Italian tactician insisted the trio is in contention to arrive in Morocco for the final on Saturday.
Ancelotti said, “All three are in the squad because they could be fit for the match. We’ll see, we preferred to leave them in Madrid to get the best treatment. We’ll see if they’re fit for Saturday’s game.”
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The absence of Militao and Mendy means the backline picks itself this midweek. So David Alaba will likely start as the left-back, with Nacho and Antonio Rudiger being the centre-backs. Dani Carvajal picks himself on the right flank. Meanwhile, Andriy Lunin will be an automatic selection in Courtois’s absence.
Dani Ceballos has been in fine form in the last few games. But the Spaniard will likely make way for Toni Kroos to return to the starting lineup. Luka Modric should also return, with Federico Valverde moving into the attack.
Modric and Kroos will join Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of the park. Ceballos and Eduardo Camavinga will be the backup midfield options on the bench for Ancelotti.
As for the offensive unit, Marco Asensio will drop the bench to accommodate Valverde on the right flank. The Uruguayan international will join Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior in the final third. Asensio and Mariano Diaz will be backup offensive options for Ancelotti.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Carvajal, Nacho, Rudiger, Alaba; Kroos, Tchouameni, Modric; Valverde, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
