Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will make a few changes to the side that lost 4-3 in El … More
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will make a few changes to the side that lost 4-3 in El Clasico against FC Barcelona at the weekend, when his current employers take on Mallorca at the Bernabeu.
That loss put the defending champions seven points behind the Catalans with three games to spare, but it isn’t over until it’s over, and beating Mallorca can of course reduce that deficit to just four while Barca has a tough away fixture at Espanyol to contest Thursday night.
The Clasico in Montjuic unfortunately brought with it casualties, which means that Madrid is unable to call on either Vinicius Jr. and Lucas Vazquez, who join an ever-expanding sick list as confirmed earlier this week.
This of course means there will be changes to all three lines of the starting XI, though Thibaut Courtois remains a familiar face between the sticks.
His backline consists of Fran Garcia and Raul Asencio from last time out, but they’re joined by Jacobo Ramon and David Jimenez.
In midfield, Luka Modric comes in for Dani Ceballos to partner Fede Valverde. In what appears to be a sort of 4-2-4 on paper, Jude Bellingham moves to the left wing and Arda Guler is on the right while Kylian Mbappe and Brahim Diaz are an attacking duo up front as previously seen in 2023/2024 with Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo.
As for that latter individual who has been reported as no longer wishing to play for Madrid, he left the training ground on Tuesday after a conversation with outgoing manager Ancelotti and won’t feature either.
What Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti said
On Rodrygo: “Rodrygo has had a feverish state that has not allowed him to be at his best level. Today in training he had discomfort in his leg. I don’t know on which leg. And he wasn’t well, he didn’t recover well from the fever. Afterwards, a lot of speculation has been mounted about this. Everyone has a special affection for Rodrygo, especially me.”
On Mallorca: “The last games are always competitive. We have important absences. We will try to put out a competitive team and win these three games. La Liga is not finished. We don’t want to hand it over. We want to do well and finish a difficult season well.”
Real Madrid First XI Vs. Mallorca: Courtois; Fran Garcia, Jacobo Ramon, Asencio, Jimenez; Modric, Valverde; Bellingham, Guler; Mbappe, Brahim