Toni Kroos will return, but Rodrygo Goes and David Alaba will be unavailable for Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
Real Madrid will be eager to keep pace with Barcelona at the top of La Liga when they welcome Atletico Madrid to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has greeted a mixed bag of updates ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Toni Kroos and Aurelien Tchouameni are back after missing the midweek fixture against Liverpool. But David Alaba and Rodrygo Goes are unavailable after picking up muscle injuries this week. The duo has joined Ferland Mendy on the sidelines, with the Frenchman recovering from a hamstring injury. Otherwise, Ancelotti has a full-strength squad at his disposal this weekend.
The Italian tactician did not provide a comprehensive team news update during his pre-match press conference. But Ancelotti spoke about the progress of Nacho, Kroos, and Tchouameni. He also addressed questions surrounding his team’s recent form.
Ancelotti said, “They’re fine, they’ll be able to start. Nacho seems ok. Next year, I don’t know what’ll happen. But we should both be here. I hope so, I’d like to see him here at Valdebebas and the Bernabeu instead of on TV.”
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“We’re doing well, apart from the injuries, which are usual because of our fixture schedule. The team has improved in terms of fitness – Kroos, Modric, Ceballos. In general, the team’s much better and you can see that in the games. We can apply intensity and we don’t have any problems doing so.”
Kroos and Tchouameni should return to the starting lineup straightaway. The duo will join Luka Modric in the middle of the park. So Dani Ceballos will be an option on the bench. Meanwhile, Eduardo Camavinga will move to the left-back spot in Alaba and Mendy’s absence.
Dani Carvajal picks himself as the right-back, while Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger should be the centre-backs. So Nacho, Jesus Vallejo, and Lucas Vazquez should be on the bench. Meanwhile, there is no looking past Thibaut Courtois between the sticks. And the Belgian international will look to make amends after his horrendous error against Liverpool.
As for the offensive unit, Federico Valverde should occupy the right-wing berth, with Rodrygo unavailable. Marco Asensio is another option for the spot but will likely appear off the bench. Finally, Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior pick themselves to complete the offensive unit on Saturday.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Camavinga; Modric, Tchouameni, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
