Vinicius Junior will return to the Real Madrid starting lineup, while Luka Modric will drop to the bench when they take on RCD Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday.
Real Madrid will be eager to continue the recent winning run when they lock horns with RCD Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium on Saturday night. Carlo Ancelotti has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Vinicius Junior is available and in the travelling squad after serving a suspension in three of the last four games across all competitions. Meanwhile, Eduardo Camavinga is closing in on returning to action from a hamstring injury, although Saturday’s game has come too soon for him.
However, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao remain on the sidelines for the visitors due to their long-term knee injuries. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti discussed Vinicius Junior’s recent penchant for picking up yellow cards. He also spoke about the “state of the team”.
The Real Madrid manager said, “He’s aware of what he has to do on the pitch because he’s a mature person. We’re delighted that he can show his best version again. He has trained very well, he’s fresh and I think he can bring a lot to the team in tomorrow’s game.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to make it to January unscathed, I said I wanted to eat nougat in December. We have eaten the nougat. Our team is better compared to December because we’ve had a very good run. In the last 14 games we have won 12. That’s very good and we want to keep it up.”
Thibaut Courtois is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Real Madrid lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against RCD Espanyol on Saturday. The backline should feature Lucas Vazquez, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, and Ferland Mendy.
As for the midfield unit, Aurelien Tchouameni should pair up with Federico Valverde in the double pivot, with Luka Modric dropping to the bench. Jude Bellingham will reprise the no. 10 role, with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo being the two wide attackers. Finally, Kylian Mbappe will lead the line for the away side against Espanyol this weekend.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
