Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid lineup against Real Valladolid
Real Madrid will resume the defence of their La Liga title tonight after the FIFA World Cup break when they take on Real Valladolid at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla.
Two points shy of leaders Barcelona, Carlo Ancelotti’s side cannot afford to slip up anymore and let the gap widen at the top. With the game set to kick off in a little while, the manager has officially announced the Real Madrid lineup that will be taking the field.
Unsurprisingly, Thibaut Courtois starts in goal having been back in training for a while following Belgium’s group-stage exit from the World Cup.
The defensive lineup sees Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy take up the full-back positions on the right and left sides, respectively. Meanwhile, David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger slot in as the centre-halves for the Merengues.
The midfield department is where Ancelotti has made some notable changes as Dani Ceballos gets a rare start alongside Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde.
Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Eduardo Camavinga are not risked following their late return from the World Cup.
The big news, however, is that club captain Karim Benzema is fully fit again and spearheads the attack for Real Madrid against Valladolid. The Frenchman is supported by Marco Asensio and Vinicius Jr in attack, with Eden Hazard and Rodrygo options from the bench.
UPDATE: Eder Militao was named in the lineup initially, but has been withdrawn from the team, with David Alaba replacing him. The Brazilian has stayed back in the team hotel due to an illness, confirms the club’s official website.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro 𝗫𝗜 inicial 🆚 @realvalladolid! #RealValladolidRealMadrid | @UnicajaBanco pic.twitter.com/gWVz7AUUfV
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 30, 2022
According to a recent report from Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Xtra), there is nothing concrete at the moment between Harry Kane and Real Madrid. The two parties have not held any talks and a potential transfer is distant.
Los Blancos’ admiration of the English striker is not a novel development for the Spanish giants have been monitoring his situation for a couple of seasons now.
Tottenham’s high financial demands coupled with Karim Benzema’s breathtaking form kept Kane’s pursuit out of sight, but the situation has now changed.
Real Madrid’s French striker may be the current Ballon d’Or holder but he has struggled to recreate his form this season. His subpar performances and age force the club to look for a new face and Kane is unsurprisingly back in the mix.
The England captain has a contract with Spurs that runs until 2024 and he has not agreed on a new deal with the Premier League side. His dire drought for trophies at the club level could force him to move to greener pastures and there is a long line of suitors awaiting his availability.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich both, like Real Madrid, are in need of a new centre-forward and thus join the Merengues in Kane’s pursuit.
The 29-year-old striker has started 28 Premier League games for Antonio Conte’s side this season, scoring a whopping 21 goals and providing two assists in the process. The fact that his goal tally came off a relatively low xG of 15.6 shows Kane’s effectiveness in front of the goal.
Karim Benzema is likely to renew for another season, but the summer could see the Galacticos go all out for a big-name striker. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are some of the other names considered, though it is clear that neither of them would arrive cheap.
