Before Real Madrid can look ahead to their Champions League bout with Arsenal, they first must take on Valencia in La Liga.
Real Madrid are coming off a chaotic 4–4 draw with Real Sociedad in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. The performance left plenty to be desired from the defending Spanish and European champions, and Carlo Ancelotti will hope his squad puts in a better display against a struggling Valencia team at the weekend.
The last time these two sides met, though, Vinícius Júnior was sent off and Real Madrid needed a stoppage time winner from Jude Bellingham to collect all three points. With the La Liga title race coming down to the wire between Barcelona and Real Madrid, Los Blancos cannot afford any mistakes on Saturday.
Expect Ancelotti to start a much-changed lineup with the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals coming on Tuesday. Ferland Mendy, Thibaut Courtois, Dani Ceballos, Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão all remain injured for Los Blancos. Andriy Lunin is also a doubt after the goalkeeper picked up a problem against Real Sociedad.
Here's what Real Madrid's XI could look like against Valencia on Apr. 5.
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Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Valencia (4-2-3-1)
GK: Andriy Lunin—The Ukrainian was a doubt heading into the match, but his inclusion in Real Madrid's squad hints that he is fit enough to play. If not, expect Real Madrid Castilla's Fran González to start in his place.
RB: Lucas Vázquez—Since he will likely be benched against Arsenal, Vázquez gets the nod on the right flank in the La Liga clash.
CB: Raúl Asencio—Asencio has become an irreplaceable part of Ancelotti's defense.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger—Fresh off scoring the winner in the Copa del Rey semifinals, the center back returns to his rightful place in the backline.
LB: Fran García—García is Ancelotti's first-choice left back with Mendy still sidelined.
DM: Luka Modrić—The 39-year-old continues to start in Real Madrid's La Liga fixtures.
DM: Eduardo Camavinga—Both Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni played 120 minutes on Tuesday, leaving the door open for Camavinga to slot into the midfield alongside Modrić.
RW: Brahim Díaz—Díaz gets the nod on the right wing to give Vinícius Júnior a rest.
AM: Arda Güler—The Turkish teenager only needed nine minutes on the pitch to set Rüdiger up for the winner in the Copa del Rey semifinals.
LW: Rodrygo—The Brazilian is a candidate to get rested ahead of Real Madrid's trip to the Emirates, but he could also start on his preferred left wing in place of Vinícius Júnior.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—The Frenchman is on track to break Real Madrid's debut season goalscoring record.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Valencia.