Dani Carvajal will return to the starting lineup when Real Madrid and Al Hilal face off in the FIFA Club World Cup final on Saturday.
Real Madrid will aim to win the FIFA Club World Cup when they lock horns with Al Hilal at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Saturday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the final.
Karim Benzema and Eder Militao have arrived in Morocco and will be in contention to feature against Al Hilal. The duo’s addition to the squad has left Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Vazquez, Ferland Mendy, and Eden Hazard on the sidelines.
Real Madrid vs Al Hilal Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
During his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti spoke about the returning duo. He said, “They came yesterday because we believe they might have a part to play. Today’s training will be important for them and I think they have a chance to play. If not, they wouldn’t have come. Today they’ll train and then I’ll decide if they can play or not.”
Neither Benzema nor Militao might be fit enough to start against Al Hilal in the final. And Ancelotti might not risk the duo either ahead of more important fixtures in the coming weeks. So Rodrygo Goes should feature as the central striker on Saturday.
The Brazilian international will likely join Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde in the final third. And Benzema will likely be an option on the bench alongside Mariano Diaz. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Aurelien Tchouameni, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
Tchouameni will sit at the base of the midfield unit, with Kroos and Modric being the creative midfielders for Los Blancos. Dani Ceballos and Eduardo Camavinga will thus be the backup midfield options for Ancelotti.
With Militao unlikely to start, Antonio Rudiger will likely have Nacho as his central defensive partner. And David Alaba should move into the left-back berth, with Camavinga dropping to the bench. Meanwhile, Dani Carvajal should return to the right flank, with Nacho moving into the centre. Finally, Andriy Lunin is an automatic pick between the sticks for Real Madrid.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Carvajal, Nacho, Rudiger, Alaba; Kroos, Tchouameni, Modric; Valverde, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
