Kepa Arrizabalaga should keep his place in the Real Madrid goal against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday.
Real Madrid will look to win the Spanish Super Cup for the 13th time when they lock horns with Barcelona in the final at the Al-Awwal Stadium on Sunday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has no new issues to deal with ahead of the finale.
Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Lucas Vazquez remain unavailable. Meanwhile, Dani Carvajal and Federico Valverde have shrugged off minor issues to be ready to take on Barcelona on Sunday.
Ancelotti discussed Carvajal’s fitness update during his pre-match press conference. He said, “He’s doing well. I rested yesterday because obviously the veterans have more trouble recovering than the youngsters do. He’ll be fine. I’ve decided on the team that will play but I don’t want to give away any clues.”
The Real Madrid manager also addressed the goalkeeping situation, as the duel between Kepa Arrizabalaga and Andriy Lunin continues. He said, “You seem to be very concerned about what I’m going to do with the goalkeeper and I appreciate that. We signed Kepa after the injury to Courtois. He was the first choice and then he had an injury.”
“The substitute at the time, Lunin, has deserved the competition, not because of Kepa’s shortcomings but because Lunin has performed very well. At the moment, I feel that you can’t choose a number one and a substitute. What’s important is that they both understand that and I think they have grasped that.”
Kepa should feature between the sticks despite his howler against Atletico Madrid in the semi-final earlier this week. Real Madrid will line up in a 4-4-2 formation with a midfield diamond in front of him, with Ancelotti unlikely to make any changes.
So, the defensive quartet will feature Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho, and Ferland Mendy. As for the midfield unit, Federico Valverde will retain his place after proving his fitness, joining Aurelien Tchouameni and Luka Modric in the middle of the park. Jude Bellingham will reprise his usual role, with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo completing the numbers in the final third.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Kepa; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Modric; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius
