REAL MADRID
Real Madrid’s possible line-up for today’s LaLiga matchday-32 game vs Almería
Real Madrid have the Copa del Rey final and a European semi-final coming up, but Carlo Ancelotti is expected to name a strong side to face Almería.
Real Madrid host relegation-threatened Almería today (12:30pm ET), on matchday 32 of a LaLiga season in which Los Blancos can still mathematically win the title, but in practice are out of the race.
Despite that, Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has no plans to rest a raft of players with one eye on the upcoming Copa del Rey final against Osasuna and Champions League semi-final against Manchester City. The side’s poor display in Tuesday’s 4-2 LaLiga defeat to Girona remains fresh in the Italian’s memory.
Modric crocked, Vinícius could drop to bench
The major team news for Madrid is that Luka Modric has suffered a hamstring injury that could rule him out of the Copa final and the first leg against City.
Dani Ceballos is expected to replace the Croat in the starting XI against Almería, while Aurélien Tchouaméni is also in the frame to return to the side. In defence, Lucas Vázquez and Eduardo Camavinga are in line to come in for Dani Carvajal and Nacho Fernández at full-back.
Vínicius Júnior, who is one booking away from a one-match ban, could be rested today. In the Brazilian’s absence, Rodrygo Goes would shift to the left wing, with Marco Asensio again starting on the right.
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Benzema and Courtois poised to return for Real Madrid
Karim Benzema, who missed the Girona defeat with a knock, is set to return at centre-forward, with the Frenchman’s pursuit of the top-scorer award one of the few significant aims still within Madrid’s reach in this LaLiga campaign. Benzema has 14 league goals in 2022/23, four behind the current Pichichi, Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.
After recovering from the bout of gastroenteritis that kept him out of the defeat at Montilivi, Thibaut Courtois is set to return in goal, having seen his understudy, Andriy Lunin, fail to impress in midweek.
Real Madrid’s potential line-up vs Almería:
Courtois, Vázquez, Rüdiger, Militao, Camavinga, Ceballos, Tchouaméni, Valverde, Asensio, Benzema, Rodrygo.