After the draw on the first matchday of their away game in Mallorca Real Madrid are aiming for their first win of the 2024–25 La Liga season. Sunday’s match against Real Valladolid will be Kylian Mbappé’s home debut at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and the striker will be keen to impress fans as the game is a sell-out.
The French star scored in the UEFA Super Cup against Atlanta but he failed to shine on his league debut in Mallorca. Jude Bellingham is a setback for Ancelotti’s team after developing muscle problems in his right leg. The England international is expected to be out for at least five weeks, including Madrid’s debut in the new Champions League format.
LaLiga EA Sports 2024/2025
*Data updated as of August 24, 2024
In a season where Madrid could play 72 games at best, the Italian head coach will have to rotate players throughout the season to give his regulars a rest and rely on substitutes to keep the team fresh. To achieve this, Ancelotti himself admitted in a recent press conference that he plans individual mini-vacations for his players in the middle of the competition.
Real Madrid fans would be happy with a similar result to Valladolid’s last visit to the Bernabeu in the 2022/23 season.where Los Blancos, captained by Karim Benzema, won 6-0.
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Madrid’s possible starting eleven for Sunday
The possible eleven for the game against Valladolid looks as follows: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Rüdiger, Fran García; Valverde, Tchouameni, Modric; Rodrygo, Mbappe and ViniciusThe Italian coach has 19 players in his squad. On the bench are: Lunin, Fran Gonzalez; Lucas Vázquez, Jacobo Ramón, Ceballos, Arda Güler, Endrick and Brahim.
Real Madrid’s number of absentees increases
Real Madrid will have to do without four players for this second division match: Vallejo, Camavinga, Bellingham and AlabaThe Spanish centre-back is suffering from muscle problems and has not been called up to the Italian coach’s squad. The Frenchman will be out until the end of September after straining the medial ligament in his left knee in training ahead of the match against Atalanta, which he sustained after a kick from Tchouameni.
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The Englishman has sustained an injury to the plantar fasciitis muscle in his right leg and will be out for around a month. The Austrian, for his part, is facing the final stage of his recovery from the tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee suffered in December 2023.
After Sunday’s match against Valladolid, Real Madrid will travel to The Canary Islands will face UD Las Palmas on August 29th at the Gran Canaria Stadium.
