Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid squad list to face Athletic Club
Real Madrid will be hoping to collect three points when they take on Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club at San Mames on Sunday night in La Liga.
Coming on the back of some poor displays, it is important that Los Blancos correct their course at the earliest possible and ensure that they do not fall well behind Barcelona in the title race, considering that the Catalans already have a three-point advantage.
Ahead of the trip to the Basque country, manager Carlo Ancelotti has announced the squad list that will be facing Athletic Club tomorrow.
Unsurprisingly, veteran midfielder Luka Modric is back on the roster after being rested for the midweek Copa del Rey clash against Villarreal.
Meanwhile, as many as five players miss out with injuries as Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, David Alaba, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Eden Hazard are not part of the travelling squad. The latter picked up an ankle injury in training earlier this week and is ruled out as a result.
Furthermore, Ancelotti has not called up Castilla starlet Vinicius Tobias despite the absence of a natural right-back in the squad apart from the out-of-favour Alvaro Odriozola. It leaves Nacho as the likeliest option to start at right-back against Athletic Club.
Marco Asensio and Dani Ceballos will be hoping to earn starting berths after making an impact coming off the bench in the cup tie.
📋✅ ¡Nuestros convocados para el #AthleticRealMadrid! pic.twitter.com/oeVnwUZF5U
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) January 21, 2023
Arda Guler’s Real Madrid stint has not gotten off to the start he would have hoped to have given the expectation that preceded the transfer.
Having joined in the summer after Real Madrid outbid their competition to win him over from Fenerbahce for a 20-million-euro fee, buzz was high as the winger was expected to slot into the team quite seamlessly, albeit on a rotational basis.
Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, he has been constantly marred by injuries since completing the move.
Reports have stated that after Guler picked up his third injury since his move, Real Madrid have been concerned and want to take things slow with the player to ensure he is fit as soon as possible after an injury to his quadriceps this time.
The Turk is yet to make his competitive debut for the club, and Real Madrid even sacked their medical chief in November, in light of their injury crises since the beginning of the season.
No loan deal for Guler
However, according to Fabrizio Romano in a recent YouTube video, he states that Madrid maintain full trust and patience in the youngster.
Despite his bad luck with injuries, the latest of which he is scheduled to return from after Christmas, the Galacticos have no intention of loaning out Guler to Turkish clubs despite lots of speculation of them doing so of late.
Romano states that Madrid remain firm on not shaking things up too much with the squad, and they want to keep their roster stable, including Arda Guler.
They want to extend their full support and protection to the player as he aims to return to full fitness and finally make his bow for Madrid either by the end of this month or in 2024.
