Vinicius Junior might not be fit enough to start for Real Madrid against Barcelona in the final El Clasico of the 2023/24 season.
Real Madrid will look to effectively end the 2023/24 La Liga race when they welcome Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabeu in the final El Clasico of the campaign on Sunday evening. And Carlo Ancelotti has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Aurelien Tchouameni is available after missing the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City earlier this week due to suspension. However, David Alaba and Thibaut Courtois remain on the sidelines due to their respective knee injuries.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti had been sweating over the fitness of Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior. But the duo is in the squad for this weekend’s El Clasico. During his pre-match press conference, the Italian tactician spoke about Ferland Mendy, another player who has been struggling with some issues.
The Real Madrid manager said, “We’ve recovered well but there are players who will need the extra day, like Mendy. They’ll all be in the squad, we haven’t had any real problems and we’ll try and put the best possible team out tomorrow. Mendy was still a bit tired today so we decided to give him that extra rest.”
Ancelotti also discussed the possibility of handing Eder Militao a spot in the starting lineup. He said, “He could start tomorrow. He’s trained well and he’s just lacking a bit of sharpness. He’s ready, he’s keen to play and he’s certainly an option for tomorrow.”
However, despite Ancelotti’s comments, Militao will not return to the starting lineup. Instead, Aurelien Tchouameni will pair up with Antonio Rudiger at the heart of the Real Madrid defence. Ferland Mendy should be fit enough to start, but Lucas Vazquez will replace Carvajal on the right flank. Andriy Lunin will retain his spot between the sticks.
As for the midfield unit, Ancelotti will not make any changes, with Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham retaining their spots in the midfield diamond. Meanwhile, Ancelotti might not take a risk with Vinicius Junior’s fitness ahead of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. So, Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo will start as the two strikers for the home side.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos; Bellingham; Diaz, Rodrygo
