Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will make at least four changes to his starting line up when the La Liga leader takes on Espanyol in Cornella on Saturday evening.
At a prematch press conference on Friday where he once again slammed soccer’s demanding calendar and spoke about playing Manchester City in the Champions League, Ancelotti was reminded about saying that he “wanted to get to January alive”.
“We have done it. We are better off than then; We are coming off a very good run, with 12 wins in the last 14 games. We are very good, in a good dynamic, but we want to continue,” Ancelotti insisted.
“The fact that there are so many matches, precisely, means that each one can be a trap. And what we don’t want is to go back, to go backwards. We’re scoring goals and the team looks more solid… But every game can be a trap. That is what we must take into account. And we cannot afford to go back; you always have to go forward,” he added.
Awaiting Madrid at the RCDE Stadium is a relegation-threatened Espanyol, and Ancelotti reiterated that he expects a “complicated, difficult” game “as always” in Barcelona’s western suburbs.
“It’s an important moment in La Liga for everyone, because the final stretch is looming. We are still quite far from it, but the points, when it approaches, begin to be more important, even more so than those of the first few days. We have an advantage at the moment and we want to keep it,” Ancelotti insisted.
Compared to the side that beat Brest 3-0 in the Champions League then, Ancelotti will make at least four changes.
Thibaut Courtois remains in goal, but the first of them entails Ferland Mendy being replaced at left back by Fran Garcia.
The rest of the back line is the same, however, with Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger a central defensive pairing and captain Lucas Vazquez the right back.
In midfield, Dani Ceballos steps in for Luka Modric to form a double pivot with Fede Valverde.
Jude Bellinghm is a more advanced CAM, flanked by wingers Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo while Kylian Mbappe is the central number 9.