Brahim Diaz will return to the Real Madrid starting lineup, while Vinicius Junior will serve a suspension against Sevilla on Sunday.
Real Madrid will aim to leapfrog Barcelona in the league standings when they welcome Sevilla to the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon. Carlo Ancelotti has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Vinicius Junior will serve a suspension after picking up his fifth booking of the 2024/25 La Liga season. However, Ferland Mendy is fit and available for the matchday squad after recovering from his recent injury.
So, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, and Eder Militao are the only players on the sidelines for the home team. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti discussed workload management due to the demanding football calendar.
The Real Madrid manager said, “We could have gone on holiday after winning the Intercontinental Cup. We’re going to be playing against opposition who compete very well. The new coach is doing a great job and it’ll be difficult. It’s a risky match and we have to make that final push.”
Ancelotti also discussed his full-back options, saying, “Mendy has recovered and he’s ready for tomorrow. Alaba is starting to train a little bit. He’ll be back with the group after the break and he’ll be able to play again by mid-January. Both full-backs have done a brilliant job after the injuries to our starting full-backs, Carvajal and Mendy.”
The Real Madrid boss continued, “Lucas Vázquez and Fran García have done a great job after several games and have really helped the team. As for Valverde, I don’t plan to play him at full-back except in the event of emergencies. Raúl is coming through there as well because he can do a job in certain games.”
Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham did not train with the team on Friday. However, the trio should be fit and ready to start on Sunday. Courtois will take his spot between the sticks, with Los Blancos lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Sevilla. The backline should feature Lucas Vazquez, Aurelien Tchouameni, Antonio Rudiger, and Fran Garcia.
As for the midfield unit, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga should pair up in the double pivot again, with Dani Ceballos and Luka Modric missing out. Jude Bellingham will reprise the no. 10 role, with Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe retaining their spots in the final third. Brahim Diaz will replace the suspended Vinicius Junior.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, Fran Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Brahim; Mbappe
