After the disappointment of being dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid will shift their focus back to La Liga as they get set to take on UD Almeria on Sunday.
Real Madrid go into the game as overwhelming favourites, considering that Almeria are currently seated at the bottom of the table, with zero wins and six draws from their 20 matches thus far.
However, Gaizka Garitano’s men did manage to hold league leaders Girona to a goalless draw last weekend, and must not be taken lightly by the Merengues who will be eager to bag all three points and move to the top of the standings.
Real Madrid have welcomed back Lucas Vazquez from injury, meaning they now have only three players unavailable – Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba, all of whom are out with ACL injuries.
With rotations expected to an extent, here’s how Real Madrid could line up against Almeria tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Starters
The biggest mystery as far as Real Madrid’s starting XI is concerned, is the goalkeeping spot. Ancelotti has been freely rotating between Andriy Lunin and Kepa Arrizabalaga from game to game, and both players made costly mistakes in the last two games vs Atletico Madrid.
Previous reports have suggested that Lunin will be the first-choice for league matches and should likely start against Almeria.
The defence could see a change, with Fran Garcia getting a look-in at left-back with Ferland Mendy rested. Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, and Nacho Fernandez should retain their places in the lineup.
The midfield department is likely to see a couple of alterations at least. Toni Kroos is tipped to be reinstated to the lineup after being benched against Atletico. He would likely come in at the expense of fellow veteran Luka Modric.
Aurelien Tchouameni, who has been criticised for his error vs Atletico, could also get a start at the base of the midfield, with Eduardo Camavinga dropping out.
It might also be a good opportunity for Ancelotti to give some rest to Federico Valverde, who has been playing relentlessly. Dani Ceballos, in that case, could be in line for a rare starting berth for Real Madrid.
Jude Bellingham gave it his all against Atletico Madrid even though he was unable to get on the scoresheet. The Merengues’ leading goalscorer is expected to retain his spot in the lineup, playing at the tip of the four-man diamond midfield setup.
Moving up ahead, Brahim Diaz deserves a start after his recent run of form and it could come at the expense of Rodrygo, who could do with a breather. Vinicius Jr. is expected to partner the Spaniard in attack.
Substitutes
Rodrygo will most certainly feature off the bench if he is not starting against Almeria tomorrow. Meanwhile, Joselu, who scored against Atletico, is certain to get minutes again from the bench.
Arda Guler is being eased into the thick of things at Real Madrid slowly and tomorrow’s game would be the perfect opportunity to feed him some minutes as well. Luka Modric and Fede Valverde could also see some action.