Rodrygo Goes will replace Vinicius Junior when Real Madrid and Elche face off at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Real Madrid will be eager to close the gap to Barcelona at the top of La Liga when they welcome Elche 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.
Vinicius Junior is unavailable due to a one-match ban. But there is some good news, as Lucas Vazquez has regained enough fitness to return to the squad. However, Thibaut Courtois, Ferland Mendy, and Eden Hazard remain on the sidelines. In addition, Toni Kroos is not in the squad and will miss the game on Wednesday.
During his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti confirmed Kroos’s absence due to an unspecified problem. The Real Madrid boss also provided more team news updates, including those on Hazard, Courtois, and Vazquez.
Ancelotti said, “Courtois has started training today and is not available for tomorrow’s game, but I think he will be on Saturday against Osasuna. Militao was already fit for the final and Lucas Vazquez is back.”
Real Madrid vs Elche Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
Speaking on Kroos and Hazard, he said, “We have the absence of Kroos who has a problem. Hazard trained on Thursday, but he has a knee problem. I’ve spoken to him, but there is no special treatment for any of the players.”
Ancelotti also confirmed that Rodrygo Goes would replace Vinicius Junior. He added, “I don’t know the FIFPRO list. It seems strange to me that Vinicius is not here and I think it was a mistake. Vini is not available tomorrow and someone else will play in this position, which will be Rodrygo.”
Rodrygo Goes should start on the left side of the Real Madrid attack, with Federico Valverde continuing on the right flank. Karim Benzema will spearhead the offensive unit against Elche. So Marco Asensio and Mariano Diaz will be backup options on the bench.
As for the midfield unit, Dani Ceballos should come in for the injured Kroos. The Spaniard will likely join Luka Modric and Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of the park. Meanwhile, Eduardo Camavinga will likely return to the bench, vacating the left-back berth.
David Alaba should move to the left side of the defensive unit. And Dani Carvajal will continue on the right flank. Eder Militao is available to take on Elche. But Nacho will likely pair up with Antonio Rudiger at the heart of the defence. Finally, Andriy Lunin will deputise between the sticks in Courtois’s absence.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Alaba; Modric, Tchouameni, Ceballos; Valverde, Benzema, Rodrygo
