Antonio Rudiger will replace the injured Eder Militao when Real Madrid and Almeria face off at Estadio Mediterraneo on Saturday.
Real Madrid will look to make it back-to-back wins to kick-start the 2023/24 season when they lock horns with Almeria at Estadio Mediterraneo on Saturday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has new fitness issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Eder Militao sustained a long-term knee injury against Athletic Club last weekend. And the Brazil international has joined Thibaut Courtois on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos are out of the travelling squad, although they are closing in on their returns.
Meanwhile, Kepa Arrizabalaga is a new player in Ancelotti’s squad. And the Real Madrid manager discussed the possibility of starting the game with the Spanish international during his pre-match press conference. But he insisted that Andriy Lunin will feature instead of Kepa on Saturday.
Ancelotti said, “He’s settling into the groove with his teammates really well and he’s shown what we already knew, that he has quality and is a personality between the sticks. Since he’s still adapting, and Lunin did a great job in Bilbao, we’ll start with Lunin tomorrow. We’ll see in the next few games.”
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“Kepa has a very high level and he’s young, but already boasts international experience. Lunin lacks that experience a bit, which is to be expected from such a young player. We won’t rotate the keepers. They are both very good, but one will get more minutes than the other.”
Meanwhile, Ancelotti added that Real Madrid will not sign a defender in Eder Militao’s absence. He said, “We’re well covered in that position, we have highly experienced players. Marvel has trained with us this week and we have other guys who are making brilliant progress. Until we get Militão back, we’ll use the academy lads to fill that fourth centre-back role.”
Antonio Rudiger is an automatic pick in Militao’s absence, with the German international joining David Alaba in the backline. Fran Garcia and Dani Carvajal will complete the numbers in the defensive unit, with Lunin featuring between the sticks.
As for the midfield unit, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric might miss out again as Ancelotti looks to phase them out as regulars. So Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, and Jude Bellingham will form the diamond in the middle of the park. Finally, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes should be the two strikers for Real Madrid against Almeria.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Fran Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius
