Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that there is no certainty that his three stars that missed training on Friday will make the Manchester City return leg.
Karim Benzema, Rodrygo Goes and David Alaba were all absent from their pre-match session ahead of Getafe on Saturday night, with little information given on their fitness.
Speaking to the press, Ancelotti explained that they did have Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos back.
“We are quite good. We have some doubts with some footballers who received knocks in Tuesday’s game, Benzema, Alaba and Rodrygo have still not recovered. Ceballos and Mendy return, they can play tomorrow. The team is good and motivated to win tomorrow.”
He was asked whether Andriy Lunin might deputise for Thibaut Courtois, and he made it clear that would not be putting out a team of youngsters.
“Courtois is going to play tomorrow… and Vini too, I don’t know if from the beginning but he’s going to play tomorrow. Of course I have to take everything into account, the players that won’t play and not take risks. Tomorrow’s game demands a lot from us against a team that is struggling not to get relegated. We need freshness and energy. But we are going to have competitive team.”
Ancelotti was asked again on rotations, but the Italian was not giving any more away.
“The players who have doubts in tomorrow’s game are not going to play… and the mission is to recover them for that game. The physical ‘issue’ does not exist.”
Rodrygo Goes has played many of Real Madrid’s key games this season, changing the system and moving Toni Kroos to the pivote role and Fede Valverde to midfield. At the very least, Ancelotti would have an obvious course of action in returning Valverde to the right, and Aurelien Tchouameni to midfield. Equally Alaba could be replaced by Eder Militao.
However the absence of Benzema would be a major blow. Los Blancos have shown time and again that they have few options to replace him without seriously altering the team’s system.
