Real Madrid confirmed starting XI against Celta Vigo today in LaLiga

A week before the Clásico, where Real Madrid will host Barcelona at their stadium, Los Blancos head to northwest Spain, where the country hangs over Portugal like a cat perches on a bookshelf, to kick off seven intense days in the schedule. First, they face Celta Vigo with the urgent need to secure three points at Balaídos in order to stay in pursuit of the Catalans who are top of the LaLiga table.

Then, on Tuesday, they will host Borussia Dortmund, the current Bundesliga leaders, in the Champions League; in that game, Madrid will look to put the 1-0 loss to Lille behind them. To top off the week, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will arrive for El Clásico.

With nearly the entire squad available, Carlo Ancelotti has more or less gone with his usual lineup. However, Carvajal will miss the rest of the season, and both Alaba and Brahim are still working to return to action. As a result, Lucas Vázquez will continue to deputise at right-back, playing his 115th match in that position. The Galician has a solid record there, with 70 wins, 22 draws, 11 goals, and 19 assists.

Who will start for Real Madrid against Celta?

As is typical in his pre-match press conferences, Ancelotti did not reveal his starting eleven for the Celta match but left one key decision up in the air: the inclusion of Valverde or Rodrygo. This switch would have changed the structure and have been the difference between Madrid lining up with four midfielders, featuring Valverde, or in a 4-3-3, where Rodrygo would have taken his place on the right wing.

“Rodrygo and Valverde trained this morning (Friday), but we need to assess their recovery with the medical staff and make a decision tomorrow (Saturday). The others are fine,” Ancelotti said, indicating that the lineup remained undecided. Modric, who just played 180 minutes for Croatia in recent international fixtures, is expected to start on the bench.

In summary, Ancelotti’s potential starting eleven against Celta will be:

Ancelotti has called up 20 players for the match, including Lunin, Sergio Mestre, Vallejo, Fran García, Modric, Ceballos, Güler, and Endrick. Aside from the third goalkeeper, Sergio Mestre, no other academy players are included.

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Real Madrid will be without Carvajal, Alaba, and Brahim for the trip to Vigo. While Carvajal is out for the season, Alaba and Brahim are working to return as soon as possible.

On a positive note, Courtois and Militão, both of whom missed the last match before the international break, have recovered from their injuries and are available. Vinicius and Mbappé, who also skipped international duty due to minor physical issues, are fit for the game.