Fran Garcia will replace Ferland Mendy in the Real Madrid starting lineup in the UEFA Champions League tie against Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium on Tuesday.
Real Madrid will be eager to get the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League campaign back on track when they lock horns with Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium on Tuesday night. And Carlo Ancelotti has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Vinicius Junior has recovered from a thigh injury ahead of time, with Ancelotti naming him in the travelling squad to take on Atalanta. In addition, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo are fit and available. However, Ferland Mendy is the latest absentee after picking up a muscular issue in his right quadriceps.
The French international has joined Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga on the sidelines. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti provided a fitness update on Bellingham, Vinicius, and Rodrygo. In addition, he spoke about rotating his troops.
The Real Madrid manager said, "It’s important to have Vinicius back in training so he can start getting back up to speed, the same goes for Rodrygo. Bellingham is fine, 100%. The only doubts we have are Vinicius and Rodrygo. We’ll decide on them after the training session."
"You’re able to rotate more when you have a squad with fewer injuries. Several players will have played more minutes than you would expect. Valverde is a special case because he’s played at full-back, in the middle and as a winger too. We’ve won two Champions Leagues with Valverde playing as a winger and he’s a crucial player for this team."
Despite Ancelotti’s comments, Vinicius and Rodrygo should return to the starting lineup, taking their spots on the flanks. Kylian Mbappe will lead the line for Real Madrid against Atalanta. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham, and Federico Valverde, with Luka Modric and Dani Ceballos being options on the bench.
With Tchouameni returning to his role in the middle of the park, Raul Asencio will pair up with Antonio Rudiger at the heart of the defence. Fran Garcia will replace the injured Mendy on the left flank, with Lucas Vazquez starting as the right-back. Finally, there is no looking past Thibaut Courtois between the sticks.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Fran Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius.