Real Madrid will aim to close the gap to Barcelona to one point atop La Liga when they welcome Elche to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night. Alvaro Arbeloa has a new injury concern to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Ferland Mendy will likely miss out after picking up a thigh injury earlier this week in the UEFA Champions League clash with Manchester City. The French full-back has joined Kylian Mbappe (knee), Dani Ceballos (calf), Jude Bellingham (hamstring), Rodrygo (ACL), and Eder Militao (hamstring) in the treatment room.
Additionally, Arbeloa is sweating over the fitness of Alvaro Carreras (calf) and David Alaba (calf). Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arbeloa provided a fitness update on Mbappe and his plans with the French international.
The Real Madrid head coach said, “I think he is getting better every day. The progress he is making follows the plan we set when we decided to pause, after conducting all the tests with the medical services and the physical preparation department. It is clear that it also depended a lot on his daily progress, but I see him doing very well. He will not be available tomorrow, but we are confident he will be ready to travel to Manchester.”
“You’re taking me far ahead [the international break]. I want him to be able to travel to Manchester. Let’s see how he feels tomorrow and especially on Sunday when we’ll make a final decision. Hopefully, he’ll be there, and hopefully, he can also be available against Atletico de Madrid. After that, whatever happens with France, we’ll address it when the time comes.”
Thibaut Courtois is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Real Madrid lining up in a 4-3-1-2 formation in front of him against Elche on Saturday. The backline will feature Dani Carvajal, Raul Asencio, Dean Huijsen, and Fran Garcia.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Eduardo Camavinga in the middle of the park. Arda Guler will reprise the no. 10 role, with Brahim Diaz and Vinicius Junior completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Asencio, Huijsen, Fran Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni; Guler; Vinicius Junior, Brahim
