Andriy Lunin will replace Thibaut Courtois in the Real Madrid goal against Barcelona in the first El Clasico of the 2024/25 season at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Real Madrid will aim to go level on points with Barcelona atop La Liga when they host Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first El Clasico of the 2024/25 season on Saturday night. Carlo Ancelotti has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Thibaut Courtois (groin) and Rodrygo (thigh) are the latest absentees after picking up their injuries earlier this week. The duo has joined Dani Carvajal and David Alaba on the sidelines, with the duo recovering from long-term knee issues.
However, Brahim Diaz is fit and available, with Ancelotti naming him in the matchday squad. Meanwhile, Ancelotti’s pre-match press conference did not have questions surrounding the fitness of Courtois and Rodrygo. However, he discussed Jude Bellingham during the presser.
The Real Madrid manager said, “He’s fine, he’s making progress. He had some ankle and shoulder issues but he’s in a very good condition now. He’s contributing a lot with his work-rate. He knows how important he is to this team.”
“Last year it was crucial for him to score goals because we’d lost a key forward in Benzema. We replaced him with the goals scored by Bellingham, Brahim and Joselu. We don’t have that this year because we’ve had a striker come in who can score 30, 35 or 40 goals. If he scores, great, but what we need from him is his positive all-round work.”
Bellingham will reprise the role that brought him incredible success last season, with Ancelotti likely lining Real Madrid up in a 4-4-2 formation with a midfield diamond against Barcelona. So, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior will be the two strikers, with Bellingham searching for opportunities to arrive late into the Barcelona box.
As for the midfield unit, Aurelien Tchouameni will sit at the base, with Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga accompanying him in the middle of the park. The backline should not see any changes, with Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Ferland Mendy retaining their spots. Finally, Andriy Lunin should replace the injured Thibaut Courtois between the sticks.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe
Andriy Lunin will replace Thibaut Courtois in the Real Madrid goal against Barcelona in the first El Clasico of the 2024/25 season at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Real Madrid will aim to go level on points with Barcelona atop La Liga when they host Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first El Clasico of the 2024/25 season on Saturday night. Carlo Ancelotti has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Thibaut Courtois (groin) and Rodrygo (thigh) are the latest absentees after picking up their injuries earlier this week. The duo has joined Dani Carvajal and David Alaba on the sidelines, with the duo recovering from long-term knee issues.
However, Brahim Diaz is fit and available, with Ancelotti naming him in the matchday squad. Meanwhile, Ancelotti’s pre-match press conference did not have questions surrounding the fitness of Courtois and Rodrygo. However, he discussed Jude Bellingham during the presser.
The Real Madrid manager said, “He’s fine, he’s making progress. He had some ankle and shoulder issues but he’s in a very good condition now. He’s contributing a lot with his work-rate. He knows how important he is to this team.”
“Last year it was crucial for him to score goals because we’d lost a key forward in Benzema. We replaced him with the goals scored by Bellingham, Brahim and Joselu. We don’t have that this year because we’ve had a striker come in who can score 30, 35 or 40 goals. If he scores, great, but what we need from him is his positive all-round work.”
Bellingham will reprise the role that brought him incredible success last season, with Ancelotti likely lining Real Madrid up in a 4-4-2 formation with a midfield diamond against Barcelona. So, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior will be the two strikers, with Bellingham searching for opportunities to arrive late into the Barcelona box.
As for the midfield unit, Aurelien Tchouameni will sit at the base, with Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga accompanying him in the middle of the park. The backline should not see any changes, with Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Ferland Mendy retaining their spots. Finally, Andriy Lunin should replace the injured Thibaut Courtois between the sticks.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe