The 4th Official
·17 January 2025
The 4th Official
·17 January 2025
After a demotivating defeat by the hands of Barcelona in the Spanish Cup 2025 final, Real Madrid bounced back in style. They overpowered Celta Vigo by 5-2 in the Copa del Rey to show the character and guts of their players.
The Whites have their next challenge lined up against Las Palmas in the La Liga this week. It will be a key game for them as they continue to lead in the domestic league. Moreover, the game will also set the momentum for their Champions League game.
Defence
Thibaut Courtois was rested but now should be back between the sticks replacing Andriy Lunin. Lucas Vazquez had a good game against Celta Vigo and he is in line to start as the right back yet again.
Raul Asencio and Antonio Rudiger should be pairing up as a duo at the heart of the defence. However, Fran Garcia has injury concerns and he will be assessed before the game. If declared unfit, Ferland Mendy is the most obvious choice for the left-back role.
Real Madrid’s Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois puts his gloves on before the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Cadiz CF at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on May 4, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP) (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
Midfield
Aurelien Tchouameni takes the deep-lying midfielder duties yet again but will have different partners this time. Both Dani Ceballos and Luka Modric are likely to make way for Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham in the midfield unit.
Attack
Vinicius Jr. is suspended for this fixture, which would allow Rodrygo to be in the starting XI. The latter Brazilian will be operating on the right flank with Brahim Diaz taking care of the other side of the pitch.
Kylian Mbappe has finally found his form and he leads the attacking pack without any second thought.
Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal are the long-term absentees while David Alaba has a negligible chance of making it into the squad. Unfortunately, Eduardo Camavinga has a muscular problem and is sidelined for this fixture.
4-3-3 Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs Las Palmas