Real Madrid News
Ancelotti likely to rest key Real Madrid duo against Elche – report
Amidst the upcoming fixture congestion, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is expected to make several changes to the team that will take the field against Elche on October 19.
To begin with, Spanish publication MARCA says given that Eduardo Camavinga needs minutes in his tank, the young Frenchman could feature in place of either Toni Kroos, Luka Modric or Aurelien Tchouameni, with the Croatian international most likely the one to be rested.
Furthermore, the attacking trio may see a similar change. Federico Valverde has emerged as a key performer for Real Madrid this season and has played very regularly. The Uruguayan could use a rest, especially considering the nature of the opposition.
In his place, Rodrygo Goes or even Marco Asensio could get a run-out at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight, lining up alongside Vinicius Jr and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.
Meanwhile, the away game against Elche will see Ancelotti missing some players, the first and foremost being Thibaut Courtois. The goalkeeper, who began training with the rest of the squad, has been left home by his manager to achieve better match fitness.
This means Andriy Lunin will retain his place while the likes of Nacho and Antonio Rudiger may return to the starting XI against the Franjiverde team.
Apart from Courtois, Mariano Diaz and Dani Ceballos are also missing for Real Madrid. The former observed some discomfort in his foot due to a blow in the training on Monday while the latter continues to work inside the facilities in order to recover from his muscular injury.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder trained away from the group last week, but has no injury – report
With the international break underway, several Real Madrid players have been called up for national team assignments. The stars who have not travelled for international duty have continued to work at the club’s Valdebebas training facility to prepare for the restart.
Toni Kroos is one such player who has remained in Madrid, having retired from international football back in 2021.
However, there had been concerns growing around the 33-year-old’s physical condition as he regularly did indoor work last week and was not spotted in group training with his teammates.
Now, Sergio Quirante has come up with an update on Kroos’ situation, stating that even though the midfielder largely did individual work inside the facilities over the last week, he is fine and has no injuries.
Taking advantage of the international break, the former Bayern Munich superstar is understood to have gone through an individual program to prepare for the final, decisive stretch of the 2022/23 season.
Kroos not being injured comes as a big positive for Real Madrid, ahead of important games against Real Valladolid and Barcelona within the first five days of April.
The rest of the Real Madrid midfield contingent – Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Dani Ceballos – are all away on international duties and could return with some fatigue from the travel.
So, it is important that Kroos is fully fit and ready to go as Real Madrid look to cut down the gap to the top of the table in La Liga and also make it to the finals of the Copa del Rey by overturning a first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Kroos has played 37 matches this season, chipping in with two goals and five assists in the process. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it is still unclear whether he will renew or hang up his boots.
