REAL MADRID
Real Madrid’s possible starting line-up vs Napoli in Champions League
Already-through Real Madrid are dealing with a number of injury absences as they face Napoli in Champions League Group C.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Napoli, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was in no mood to dwell on Los Blancos’ numerous injury casualties.
“Talking too much about the problems we have and the absentees seems disrespectful to the players who will be out on the pitch tomorrow,” Ancelotti told his pre-match press conference on the eve of the Group C matchday-five game.
Real Madrid - Napoli: Follow the live action here!
Which Real Madrid players are injured?
Madrid, who are already through to the last 16, face Napoli without eight injured players: Thibaut Courtois (ACL), Kepa Arrizabalaga (groin), Éder Militão (ACL), Eduardo Camavinga (knee), Aurélien Tchouaméni (foot), Luka Modric (hamstring), Arda Güler (thigh) and Vinícius Júnior (hamstring).
Ceballos set for first start in five months?
Amid Madrid’s spate of absences, Dani Ceballos is in contention to start his first game for the 14-time European champions since June. The midfielder returned from a seven-week injury layoff as a second-half substitute in Sunday’s LaLiga win over Cádiz.
Ancelotti is also poised to name three ‘B’-team players - Mario Martín, Nico Paz and Théo Zidane - on the bench at the Bernabéu.
Alaba, Brahim poised to return to XI
Meanwhile, centre-back David Alaba is expected to return to the line-up after being rested at the weekend, and Brahim Díaz is also in line to come back in, having been an 11th-hour drop-out in Andalusia due to “intestinal problems”.
Joselu is likely to make way for Brahim, who is set to partner Rodrygo Goes up front. The Brazilian, who scored a brace against Cádiz, has eased concerns over the state of his knee in training ahead of the visit of Napoli.
In goal, Andriy Lunin will continue to deputise in the absence of Courtois and Kepa - but, with the latter closing in on a return, this could be the Ukrainian’s final start for now.
See also:
Real Madrid’s potential starting line-up vs Napoli
Lunin; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Valverde, Ceballos, Bellingham; Brahim, Rodrygo.
Real Madrid vs Napoli: when, where, how to watch?
Real Madrid host Napoli in the 2023/24 Champions League group stage on Wednesday 29 November 2023, with kick-off at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu scheduled for 3pm ET/12 noon PT.
TV viewers in the United States can watch the game on TUDN USA and Univisión, while your streaming options include ViX, Paramount+ and fuboTV.
Enjoy the action live on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.