Champions League test for Madrid in San Sebastián

This is how the white team faces the visit to the Reale Arena, at least as Carlo Ancelotti made clear in the preview. No experiments or rotations, beyond those imposed by the script, as Modric, Alaba and Mendy rush to recover from their injuries, with the Croatian and the Austrian trying to reach the cup final, while Vinicius and Camavinga miss the duel due to card accumulation. “I am not going to do any type of rotation except for casualties,” clarified the Italian coach, to whom the truth is that according to the absences he does not have plenty of options either.

And it is that Carletto prefers to focus the match against Real as an interesting yardstick and not as a cumbersome commitment in a League already decided, beyond that fight for the runner-up with Atlético that does not finish fulfilling Madrid’s ambitions. “It’s going to be a difficult game, at a time that doesn’t make sense, but we’re going to San Sebastián with all the desire in the world to play a good game,” said the Reggiolo coach, annoyed with the late hours of the match and also with a calendar that he considers saturated.

With no replacements for the left side, Nacho points to that position again, with another revalidation for the couple formed by Militao and Rüdiger. After conceding six goals in two games, Madrid need to improve their defensive sensations and leave behind the many disconnections at the rear that they suffered against Girona and Almería, this burden that Ancelotti has warned about actively and passively in his latest assessments, aware that the lack of intensity behind is a dangerous inertia before what is to come in the Cup and Champions.

few alternatives

In the center of the field, the losses of Modric and Camavinga and the doubts about Valverde’s physical condition do not allow alternatives, something similar to what happens in the offensive field, without Vinicius and with Hazard and Mariano as practically decorative elements of the squad. Benzema aims to start again, also motivated by his good scoring moment and the fight for the Pichichi with Lewandowski, an incentive for a decaffeinated final stretch of the League.

For its part, Real Sociedad walks steadily towards the desired fourth place that opens the doors of the Champions League. Imanol Alguacil’s team carried out the duels against Rayo and Osasuna and took advantage of the punctures from their competitors. Their five-point lead over fifth-placed Villarreal is a real treasure that Real will try to preserve with their gala eleven after resting some of their pillars in Pamplona.

-Probable alignments:

Real Sociedad: Remiro, Gorosabel, Le Normand, Zubeldia, Aihen, Zubimendi, Silva, Merino, Kubo, Sorloth and Oyarzabal.

Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Rüdiger, Nacho, Tchouaméni, Ceballos, Kroos, Asensio, Benzema and Rodrygo.

Referee: Pulido Santana (Las Palmas Committee).

Stadium: Royal Arena.

Time and TV: 10:00 p.m. Movistar LaLiga.