Real Madrid News
Real Madrid trio miss first training session of 2023 ahead of Copa del Rey clash
Real Madrid will kickstart 2023 with a Copa del Rey encounter against Cacereno in the Round of 32 on Tuesday night away from home.
Ahead of the match, the reigning champions of Spain and Europe continued preparations as they held their first training session of the New Year at the Valdebebas earlier today.
And, according to an official update from the club, as many as three Real Madrid stars were not part of the group training sessions today under manager Carlo Ancelotti.
The three players in question are goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, defender Dani Carvajal and striker Mariano Diaz.
As per the update from the Merengues, both Courtois and Carvajal did some work in the indoor facilities, although it is not clear as to whether it was due to any knock or injuries.
The duo is unlikely to start against Cacereno, irrespective of their fitness, as manager Ancelotti is expected to take the opportunity of the cup competition to rotate his troops.
So, Courtois, after his critical display against Real Valladolid, was always likely to make way for Andriy Lunin while Lucas Vazquez could be in line to get the nod at right-back.
Meanwhile, Mariano is said to have worked individually away from the group as he recovers from an ankle sprain he suffered earlier this week.
The injury meant that the forward, who is in the final year of his contract with Real Madrid, was unavailable for Friday’s match against Valladolid. And it remains to be seen if he recovers in time for the Copa del Rey against the RFEF Second Division outfit on Tuesday.
Eder Militao, who missed the last game, has returned to normal training, which is a boost for Real Madrid.
The Santiago Bernabeu is ready for the first time in a fortnight as Real Madrid are set to host relegation-threatened Real Valladolid for gameweek 27 of La Liga. The gap between them and Barcelona was increased to 15 yesternight, and los blancos will be looking to cut it down to 12 to scarce the tiniest bit of hope of defending their league crown.
Carlo Ancelotti has opted to use a highly attacking starting lineup for the clash, with Karim Benzema spearheading the front-three. He is flanked by Marco Asensio on the right while Vinicius Jr retains his place on the left.
Rodrygo also gets the nod to start, probably as an attacking midfielder in what looks like a 4-2-3-1.
Aurelien Tchouameni has been given the nod in midfield, with Toni Kroos forming the double pivot alongside him.
With Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, and Nacho out injured, Eduardo Camavinga gets the license to start as the left-back, while Lucas Vazquez flanks the defence from the right. The usual suspects — Eder Militao and David Alaba — start in central defence.
Thibaut Courtois was a doubt heading into this game, but has been given the medical greenlight to take his place as the goalkeeper.
📋✅ Our squad for #RealMadridRealValladolid! pic.twitter.com/T9G5QY3P4D
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 2, 2023
Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Alaba, Camavinga; Tchouameni, Kroos; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius; Benzema
