Lucas Vazquez and Eduardo Camavinga will return to the Real Madrid starting lineup against Union Berlin at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Real Madrid will aim to kick-start the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League strongly when they host Union Berlin at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Dani Carvajal is not a part of the matchday squad for Wednesday’s fixture after picking up a knock. The veteran Spanish full-back has joined Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, Arda Guler, and Vinicius Jr. on the sidelines. But Carvajal should only be a short-term absentee for Los Blancos.
Ancelotti spoke about Carvajal’s injury during his pre-match press conference. He revealed that the Spaniard has a strain while confirming his replacement. The Italian tactician also provided an update on Guler’s recovery from his knee injury.
He said, “Carvajal has a strain and we wanted to rest him to avoid problems. We’ll test him again tomorrow. He feels good and we don’t think it’s anything serious, so hopefully he’ll be back soon. As things stand today, he has a chance of playing on Sunday.”
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“The player’s general condition is pretty good. Lucas Vázquez will play in place of Carvajal. His [Guler’s] recovery is going well, he’s not having any problems. He’s completing his individual work and will return to the team on Monday.”
Lucas Vazquez will take up the right-back slot in Carvajal’s absence, with the rest of the defensive unit remaining unchanged. So, while Ferland Mendy is back in the matchday squad, Fran Garcia will start as the left-back, with Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba forming the central defensive unit. The quartet should protect Kepa Arrizabalaga.
As for the midfield unit, Ancelotti has rotated some of his resources while starting to phase out veteran midfielder Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. The experienced duo should find themselves on the bench, with Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham starting.
So, Dani Ceballos will also miss out, taking his place on the bench, where Brahim Diaz will be alongside him. Bellingham will start behind the two strikers again, with Joselu and Rodrygo Goes spearheading the Real Madrid attack in the absence of the injured Vinicius Junior.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Kepa; Lucas Vazquez, Rudiger, Alaba, Fran Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Joselu, Rodrygo
