Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid squad list to face Chelsea
Real Madrid have released their official squad ahead of their upcoming Champions League quarterfinal clash against Chelsea.
Not too many big surprises in the squad, with Ferland Mendy the only major absentee. Mariano Diaz did not train with the squad yesterday but has been included in the squad. He will serve as a wild card for Carlo Ancelotti, should he require an alternative for Karim Benzema.
Diaz’s inclusion, though, means the young and impressive Alvaro Rodriguez misses out once again. The Uruguayan will not be available at Ancelotti’s disposal, even though his pace and versatility could have been useful to the home side.
Following a disappointing 3-2 defeat to Villarreal, where several star players were rested, we may see a host of changes being made to the starting eleven by Ancelotti this midweek.
It will be a special outing for Antonio Rudiger, as he looks to face his former side for the first time since moving to Real Madrid on a free transfer last summer.
Rudiger will play a critical role in the Real Madrid backline as they look to contain a Chelsea side boosted by the return of Mason Mount, who is back in training, along with N’Golo Kante and Thiago Silva.
📋✅ Our squad for the match 🆚 @ChelseaFC! #UCL pic.twitter.com/rPkf7X1XYE
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 11, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia has triggered a wave of massive establishment within the country so much so that the league has approached players like Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos and even Karim Benzema.
Benzema’s departure from Real Madrid is imminent and if a report from Diaro AS is to be believed, the Frenchman contacted his former Madrid teammate, Ronaldo, to ask him for information about the Saudi league, living conditions and other teams.
All this because it is said that the legendary Frenchman has received a lucrative offer from the newly crowned Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad. As reported before, the star striker will earn more than €100 million per year across his two-year contract with the Saudi team.
At the moment, the Saudi government has approved all of Benzema’s requests and while it is said that he can join the team of his choice, Al Ittihad’s recent flirting had made them absolute favourites.
That said, the transfer may have taken a u-turn recently, as Benzema spoke about staying at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.
“Speak to the fans? Speak about what? Why should I speak of the future if I’m in Madrid?”, Benzema said.
“It’s the internet speaking, and reality is not the internet.”
In a recent turn of events, Helder Costa openly spoke about Benzema’s arrival, saying that his team is ‘excited about the arrival of the Balon d’Or winner.’ As if that is not enough, a club fan also showed a Karim Benzema edit on the big screen during their title celebrations.
Meanwhile, since the transfer is not confirmed, Real Madrid continue to be uninformed of Benzema’s decision. And this remains a major problem for the team from the capital city as their summer transfer plan hinges on the continuity of the Frenchman.
At the moment, the team is said to be closing in on the signing of Joselu from Espanyol. However, it must be noted that the forward will only be arriving on a season-long loan as Madrid already have big plans for the summer of 2024, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe both lined up.
