Ancelotti set to bench veterans and give youngsters a chance

With the pre-season preparations done and dusted, Real Madrid are set to kickstart their 2023/24 La Liga campaign on Saturday when they take on Athletic Club.

After missing out on the league title last season, it will be imperative for Carlo Ancelotti to start the season on a positive note and get an early headstart.

For a season opener, one would usually expect a team like Real Madrid to showcase their full strength and field the strongest eleven.

However, according to Jose Luis Sanchez, Carlo Ancelotti is expected to bench the veteran players in the first game against Athletic Club.

In their stead, Ancelotti is likely to field a set of youngsters. This was strictly the Italian’s idea, which barely comes as a surprise either.

Real Madrid have spent heavily on young talents in recent years. The majority of them are starting to mature as well.

Combined with the new additions this summer, the season opener could be an excellent platform for them to showcase their potential.

On a practical note, not every youngster will start against Athletic Club on Saturday.

However, the majority of the changes could come in midfield. Jose Luis Sanchez points out that Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are destined to be benched.

This could pave the way for Aurelien Tchouameni and new signing Jude Bellingham to start in the middle of the park.

The Englishman has played in an advanced midfield role so far and could continue in that position against the Basque outfit.

Elsewhere, Fran Garcia might get a nod following Ferland Mendy’s recent injury. Eduardo Camavinga could be an alternative in the position, though the Frenchman is more likely to start in midfield.