Real Madrid News
Ancelotti talks Benzema, Modric, Rodrygo, Valverde, Hazard, ahead of Real Madrid vs Osasuna
Real Madrid face off against Osasuna in their first match after the international break at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night.
Los Blancos are yet to drop a single point in the new season and are seated at the top of the standings following six matches. And they will be aiming to extend that run when they play hosts to Jagoba Arrasate’s side tomorrow.
With Barcelona breathing down their necks in the table, it becomes important for Carlo Ancelotti & co. to ensure that there are no missteps, especially with El Clasico just around the corner.
Ahead of the game, Ancelotti attended his pre-match press conference where he provided a fitness update on a number of his players while also commenting on the importance of the upcoming run of fixtures.
On the busy run before World Cup: “It is an important moment of the season and the challenge is to do well in all the games.
We must get the League and the Champions League round of 16 on track before the World Cup. We have a good team, motivated and with a good attitude.”
On Benzema: “He is very good and is going to start tomorrow. He has trained well this week he has done it with the team. His physical condition is very good because he has had time to recover and put energy into his legs. I see him very well and he is going to play.”
On the fixture calendar: “The most important issue is the calendar because it is very compressed. There are many games. The institutions have to work together to fix this because the problem is the number of games.”
On Modric’s injury: “Luka has had a small problem and it is not a very serious thing. He could be ready for Wednesday against Shakhtar Donetsk. He will start training with the team on Monday. We have to see if he’s comfortable for Wednesday’s game and if he won’t play the next league game.”
On Asensio and Hazard: “They are fine. They have played with their national teams and it has been good for them to improve their condition. They are ready to contribute to the team in these games.”
On whether Rodrygo would start if Real Madrid were playing the UCL final tomorrow: “Yes, he would be in my final team.”
On Federico Valverde being compared to Steven Gerrard: Fede has many things similar to Gerrard. It’s great to be compared to a player who has been very successful. Fede has everything to reach the desired level and even more.”
On Benzema’s form: “He hasn’t scored in the last few games because he hasn’t played. I don’t see anything strange in Karim. He has trained very well. He did not have a full pre-season and it affected him a bit. After this period we will see the usual Karim, who is a spectacular player.”
On Lucas Vazquez: “Lucas has partially trained with the team. He may be available on Wednesday or Saturday. It is the same as Modric.”
On El Clasico: “El Clasico is far away. We have more important games before, like the one against Osasuna. We have prepared well for tomorrow’s game because the players are fine.
“Then, let’s think about Wednesday’s game. We cannot think about the game that will be played in 15 days. The objective of the game tomorrow, Wednesday and next Sunday is to win.”
On the World Cup in the middle of the season: “We don’t know what’s going to happen. We are thinking about how to handle the players who come back from the World Cup. Until the middle of January, we may play with the players who stay here.
“We have to differentiate between those who will or not play because not all the players who go to the World Cup will. They will need rest when they return and we will give them 10 days of vacation.”
Source: Real Madrid official website
Real Madrid News
Rayo Vallecano manager names the one Real Madrid figure he would remove from the team
Rayo Vallecano face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on a wounded Real Madrid this weekend.
Life after Inigo Perez has not been kind to the Vallecas-based club, who have already had to travel to Camp Nou and now face a trip to the home of their city giants.
Speaking ahead of the game (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rayo Vallecano manager Benat San Jose was asked which Real Madrid player he would like to remove from the team before this weekend’s game.
Surprisingly, his choice was not Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Thibaut Courtois.
“Mourinho”
Asked which Madrid player he would take out of the upcoming contest, Benat jokingly chose the man sitting on the opposition bench.
“Which Real Madrid player I’d remove from the match against them? Mourinho,” Benat said with a laugh.
The answer might have been delivered jokingly, but the Rayo coach immediately made clear just how highly he rates the Portuguese manager.
“He’s one of the best managers in history,” he added.
It is significant praise ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s squad contains enough individual quality to give any opposition coach several obvious answers, but Benat instead highlighted the influence Mourinho can have over the entire team.
That has become particularly relevant since the Portuguese coach returned to Madrid. His early work has focused on making a talented group function with greater collective discipline.
Courtois and Madrid’s attack also praised
Benat did not stop with the manager.
“They also have one of the best GKs in history and one of the best attackers in history,” he said.
Benat will definitely have seen how Thibaut Courtois played against Inter Milan in midweek and will hope that version does not turn up again this weekend.
Even when teams manage to create opportunities against Madrid, they still have to beat one of the defining goalkeepers of his generation.
At the opposite end, Madrid possess attacking quality capable of turning a match on its head.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can all decide matches single-handedly.
Madrid have a point to prove
Madrid are coming off a disappointing loss to Real Betis in La Liga last weekend and will come into this game with a point to prove.
They will want to ensure that the loss to the Andalusian club was a one-off and that they return to winning ways against Rayo.
Their title rivals, Barça, have been flying high in the league, scoring goals and picking opponents apart for fun.
Madrid need to ensure that they do not hand too much early incentive to Barça, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare against Rayo Vallecano.
