Real Madrid will take on Rayo Vallecano in their 25th match of La Liga at Estadio de Vallecas but they will be without six players in yet another important league clash.
Madrid are on top of the league with 61 points, five more than second-placed Girona, whom they thrashed on February 10 by four goals. Meanwhile, Vallecano sit on 14th position with 24 points.
Los Blancos will miss Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy and Jude Bellingham.
Courtois, Militao and Alaba have long-term injuries as all three players tore their Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) earlier this season. On the other hand, Rudiger suffered a bruise on his during Madrid’s league match against Getafe. Bellingham has an ankle sprain while Mendy is suspended.
Madrid will once again go with the centre-back pairing of Aurelien Tchouameni and Nacho Fernandez and head coach Carlo Ancelotti held a press conference ahead of Sunday’s match where he discussed the Frenchman’s role.
“Aurelien Tchouameni's role is playing pivot but he's been playing CB to help the team. He is very intelligent,” Ancelotti said. “He is not a CB but the fact is that he is showing that he can play there perfectly well. He is getting used to playing there very quickly, that just shows his he is very very intelligent."
He then talked about Luka Modric, who hasn’t gotten enough playing time this season. Ancelotti praised the legendary midfielder saying he is a top professional.
“Luka Modric continues to contribute what he contributed before, he is an example of what a professional has to be and he continues doing that a lot,” the 63-year-old said.
"They say legends have to retire at Real Madrid, so will the club let Modric decide his future? This is what the club has done with all the legends in recent years. I spoke with Luka about this topic a month ago and everything is quite clear between the two."
