Dani Ceballos will return, but Luka Modric will be unavailable for the game between Real Madrid and Real Betis on Sunday.
Real Madrid will be eager to bounce back to winning ways when they lock horns with Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin Stadium on Sunday night. And Carlo Ancelotti has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Luka Modric will miss the game through a suspension, which he incurred after accumulating too many yellow cards. The Croatian midfielder has joined Andriy Lunin, David Alaba, and Ferland Mendy on the sidelines. Otherwise, Ancelotti has a full-strength squad at his disposal this weekend.
During his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti spoke about his midfield options. He addressed questions surrounding Modric, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Dani Ceballos.
Ancelotti said, “I don’t think they [Modric and Kroos] slow down the game when they play together. I don’t perceive this as a problem. The speed of the game isn’t about running more, it’s about thinking first. They both have the experience and knowledge to do this. You have to run the ball because the ball doesn’t perspire.”
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“We shouldn’t forget that when Tchouameni joined us in the first part of the season, he was amazingly quick to adapt. He had an outstanding World Cup and now he’s back in a good shape. I’m confident that he will contribute as he did in the first part of the season. But Camavinga’s doing really well. He’s [Ceballos] fine, he can play. He hasn’t played in the last few matches but he can do so.”
With Modric unavailable, Ceballos will get a chance to impress. But Kroos might sit on the bench and earn some rest this weekend. So Ceballos will likely accompany Tchouameni and Camavinga in the middle of the park.
Federico Valverde will take up the right-wing berth again, with Rodrygo Goes relegated to the bench. Valverde will join Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior in the offensive unit. Meanwhile, Rodrygo, Marco Asensio, and Eden Hazard will be backup options for Ancelotti.
As for the defensive unit, Ancelotti will unlikely make any changes. So Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger will form the central defensive partnership. Nacho and Dani Carvajal will continue as the two full-backs. And finally, Thibaut Courtois will retain his spot between the sticks.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Ceballos, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
