Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid squad list against Villarreal
Real Madrid beat fourth division side CP Cacereno in the Copa del Rey round of 32 last fortnight, but were not lucky in the round of 16 draw. They have been pitted against Villarreal, who beat them 2-1 on 7th January.
The Copa game is essentially a replay of the same, with the clash taking place at the Estadio la Ceramica. Weighing up the difficulty of the fixture, Carlo Ancelotti has called up his best team for the clash.
The Italian gaffer confirmed that Thibaut Courtois was going to start tomorrow despite their inclusion of Andriy Lunin, who has been given the responsibility in cup games generally.
David Alaba is still injured, and will not be travelling with the team to Eastern Spain. The same goes for Aurelien Tchouameni, who was not a part of the Spanish Super Cup either.
Their presence has been replaced by Castilla players in the form of Vinicius Tobias and Mario Martin, respectively.
At 37, Luka Modric needs regular rest to play at his best level. Consequently, he has been dropped from this game, with Ancelotti keeping an eye out at the Athletic Club clash on the weekend.
Eden Hazard and Mariano Diaz have received call-ups, but are not expected to start. We could, however, see one or both of them brought on in the second half.
📋✅ Our squad for the match 🆚 @VillarrealCFen!#CopaDelRey pic.twitter.com/LTBiUx3q35
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 18, 2023
Real Madrid are looking towards a heavy splurge in the coming summer transfer window. After all, they do not even have another option given the sheer number of player departures already finalized.
Los Blancos have lost the services of Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz, and Eden Hazard over the past week. While three of the four players predominantly featured on the bench, their presence in the squad gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side much-needed depth and a cushion of sorts.
The forward unit is, thus, the most prioritized department ahead of the transfer window. However, pieces are beginning to fall apart on other fronts and could potentially put the club in a difficult situation.
According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus are eyeing Lucas Vazquez and hope to sign him in the coming month. Contacts between the two parties have begun and the transfer fee discussed appears to be around the €6 million to €8 million ballpark given that he has just one year left on his contract.
The player, for his part, is willing to sign for the Italian giants given his relative lack of minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu. At 31 years of age, he understandably does not want to play a second-fiddle role.
Vasquez played part in 23 of Real Madrid’s 38 La Liga games last season, starting only on 12 occasions. Even in his few appearances, he averaged a mere 50 minutes per game.
The veteran completed the season with four goals and an assist to his name. Further, he averaged five defensive actions and a key pass in every game and feels hard done by his limited role.
Vazquez’s departure would place the club in a tricky situation as it would leave Real Madrid with only Dani Carvajal as a natural right-back option. Nacho Fernandez could, in theory, serve as the backup but a new signing for the position cannot be ruled out.
