Real Madrid could reshuffle ahead of next week’s Champions League quarter-finals.
Barely three days after a 0-4 victory at the Camp Nou in the Copa del Rey final, Real Madrid heads back to La Liga to host Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu this Saturday. Four days later they will welcome Chelsea for the first leg of the Champions League showdown.
In the build-up to the fixture, Carlo Ancelotti might rotate his squad, a familiar move after the midweek Clasico. Players who did not start against Barcelona, such as Antonio Rüdiger, Lucas Vázquez, Nacho Fernández, Dani Ceballos, Aurélien Tchouaméni, or Marco Asensio, could return to the starting XI to provide regulars with a breather. Rodrygo Goes finished the Clasico with knee discomfort, so his availability will be assessed ahead of the match. The only confirmed injury in Madrid remains Ferland Mendy, who is sidelined with a soleus issue.
Villarreal, coached by Quique Setién, will visit Madrid in good form in La Liga. The Yellow Submarine have been unbeaten in five matches, winning four, and sit close to the European spots, four points adrift. They will be without several key players, with Gerard Moreno, Etienne Capoue, and Nicolas Jackson sidelined, and doubts over Álex Baena, Ramón Terrats, Samu Chukwueze, and Raúl Albiol. This could open chances for Manu Trigueros, Aissa Mandi, or Gio Lo Celso, while Lo Celso himself returns from a right-quad issue after a four-month layoff that kept him out of the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
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LINEUPS OF REAL MADRID VS. VILLARREAL
Real Madrid (1-4-3-3): Courtois; Lucas Vázquez, Militao/Alaba, Rudiger, Nacho; Dani Ceballos, Tchouaméni, Fede Valverde/Modric; Asensio, Benzema and Vinicius.
Villarreal (1-4-3-3): Reina; Foyth, Mandi/Raul Albiol, Pau Torres, Pedraza; Baena/Lo Celso, Parejo, Trigueros/Terrats; Chukwueze, Morales and Yeremy Pino.
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THE CALLS FOR REAL MADRID VS. VILLARREAL
As of now there are no official selection lists for the Santiago Bernabéu clash.
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Source: Goal