(Football news) Real Madrid on Saturday defeated Al Hilal to win the FIFA Club World Cup. Before that Los Blancos had been struggling with form domestically but the triumph in Morocco could be a massive and much needed boost. Key players Vinicius Jr and Fede Valverde came back to form as they won the golden ball and silver ball each. Now Real Madrid will be taking on Elche at the Santiago Bernabéu.
It is a must win game for Los Blancos as they are currently 11 points behind league leaders FC Barcelona. The pitch of the Bernabéu has been a hot topic as a lot of Real Madrid players have said that it isn’t appropriate. The Merengues have changed the pitch for a third time this season.
Real Madrid will welcome back Lucas Vazquez who is set to return after a long injury. Eder Militao, who was an unused substitute in the Club World Cup final is also likely to return to the starting XI. The return of all the defenders will most likely mean that Eduardo Camavinga doesn’t start at left back.
The Frenchman has been playing there for the last 6 games but now he is likely to be used in midfield. Vinicius Jr is suspended after collecting 5 yellow cards and Carlo Ancelotti has already confirmed that Rodrygo will play in that position. Ferland Mendy, Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois are still out while Toni Kroos is also out due to illness.
Real Madrid have often struggled against teams like Elche who defend very deep. It will be interesting to see how Los Blancos perform without Vinicius Jr. Karim Benzema’s injury issues are still troubling him but he will be looking to put on a show for the home crowd in this game. Elche are currently rock bottom of the table and 10 points behind 19th placed Getafe.
They did get their first league win of the season in the last match against Villarreal. A result at the Bernabéu could give them a boost but it looks very unlikely. Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping that his side can get the job done without much fuss as they have a trip to Anfield next week for the UCL Round of 16 tie against Liverpool.
Also read: Bayern Munich and AC Milan get narrow 1-0 wins in the Round of 16 first leg
