Real Madrid News
Six Real Madrid players certain to start against Chelsea after being benched vs Villarreal
Real Madrid’s woes in La Liga continued as they slumped to a 3-2 defeat to Villarreal last night, effectively giving Barcelona the opportunity to extend their lead to 15 points when they take on Girona Monday night.
Seeing Real Madrid’s approach in the game, it was evident that they were preparing for the upcoming Champions League clash against Chelsea, with the squad confident that they will secure a victory this midweek.
According to MARCA, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti knew what he was doing, in terms of team selection. He rested the likes of Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric.
Instead, Real Madrid started with lesser-used individuals such as Nacho Fernandez, Lucas Vazquez and Aurelien Tchouameni, who has fallen out of favour lately.
Karim Benzema was handed the start, but the forward was taken off with half an hour still to be played. It was a precautionary move from Ancelotti, who wanted the Frenchman to be fully fit ahead of the Chelsea contest.
As per the report, all of the six players, who were rested against Villarreal, will start against Chelsea this midweek. That means we may witness the midfield comprising Camavinga, Kroos and Modric, who may soon extend his contract at Santiago Bernabeu.
Newly-appointed Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has stated that he is looking forward to this game and despite his team’s poor form in the Premier League, ‘anything can happen’.
But up against a Real Madrid side likely to be strengthened by the return of their star players, very few would bet against Los Blancos faltering at home this midweek.
Speaking to the media, Brazil Football Confederations (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues has claimed that the Selecao have not given up on their pursuit of Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, despite the Italian stating that he will not leave the club.
Brazil have been without a manager since the World Cup in Qatar last year, following which Tite stepped down. The CBF have made Ancelotti their top target and have been pursuing his signing for months but to no avail.
The 63-year-old Italian tactician has, on more than one occasion, made it clear that he will be at Real Madrid next season, with his contract expiring in 2024.
However, CBF president Rodrigues is adamant that Ancelotti’s statements are due to him being cautious as he is under contract at Real Madrid and that the Selecao are not prepared to give up on their quest to appoint him as of yet.
“We made a plan, that ‘Plan A’ is the one you know, Ancelotti, and as they say in the ‘ring’ (boxing), I haven’t thrown in the towel yet,” Rodrigues said (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
“Because of contracts, people are cautious,” he added.
Ancelotti, for his part, has repeatedly stated that he does not intend to leave Real Madrid unless he is forced out of the club.
Despite missing out on the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League titles last season, the club continue to back the veteran Italian and are planning for next season with him in charge.
So, despite Rodrigues’ confidence and perseverance, it is extremely unlikely that Ancelotti will be leaving Real Madrid for Brazil this summer.
