Antonio Rudiger and Marco Asensio will return, but David Alaba will be unavailable for Real Madrid against Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Real Madrid will look to continue the recent winning run when they welcome Celta Vigo to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has a near-full-strength squad at his disposal ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Ferland Mendy and David Alaba are the only players on the sidelines. The two players are recovering from their respective muscle injuries. Otherwise, Ancelotti has named a strong squad to take on Celta Vigo this weekend.
Ancelotti did not reveal any team news updates during his pre-match press conference. But he insisted that Karim Benzema is fit and available to take on Celta Vigo. In addition, the Italian tactician spoke about the importance of post-game recovery and rotation.
He said on Benzema, “He’s ok. He had that knock, but he’s recovered and trained well. He’s available to play tomorrow. I took him off because when I think the game is over, I try to spare the players to give them a bit of rest. I’ve spoken to him and told him that if I can take minutes away from him, I will, especially if he’s had a slight problem. He understood that fully.”
Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats
Ancelotti then continued, “We don’t have problems in recovering properly. We can’t complain about playing the Champions League on Tuesday or Wednesday. We weren’t worried because you can recover properly in three days, we’ve done it a lot of times.”
“At the moment they’re [rotations] just there to provide a bit of rest for the players who are a tad tired and to try to get as many players in top physical condition as possible. I have to give players minutes to ensure they’re in good physical condition for the final stretch of the season.”
Ancelotti should continue to rotate his troops as we approach the business end of the 2022/23 season. So players like Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Vinicius Junior might earn some rest this weekend. But Thibaut Courtois should retain his spot, with Real Madrid lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him.
Lucas Vazquez should replace Carvajal on the right flank, with Antonio Rudiger coming in for Alaba. Rudiger will pair up with Eder Militao in the central defensive partnership. And Nacho will complete the defensive unit, lining up as the left-back.
As for the midfield unit, Eduardo Camavinga will move up, replacing Modric. Meanwhile, Aurelien Tchouameni should come in for Toni Kroos at the base of the trifecta. And Federico Valverde will complete the numbers in the middle of the park.
As iterated earlier, Vinicius Junior will likely drop to the bench to earn some much-needed rest. So Rodrygo Goes will reprise his preferred role on the left flank. And Marco Asensio will replace Vinicius Junior in the final third. Finally, Karim Benzema will spearhead the Real Madrid attack against Celta Vigo.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Asensio, Benzema, Rodrygo
