Dean Huijsen will return to the Real Madrid starting lineup when they take on Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final on Thursday.
Real Madrid will aim to qualify for the Supercopa de Espana final when they lock horns with Atletico Madrid at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Thursday. Xabi Alonso has no new issues to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Kylian Mbappe is the most notable absentee from the travelling squad as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Eder Militao is out for the foreseeable future due to a hamstring injury, while Brahim Diaz is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco.
Dani Carvajal is closing in on returning to the starting lineup, but he will not feature from the get-go on Thursday. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Alonso provided a fitness update on Carvajal and discussed how his team will continue to cope with Mbappe’s absence.
The Real Madrid manager said, "He’s better and if he’s needed tomorrow he could play a bit. He has been injured for some time and we have to respect the steps because there are still a lot of games left and we don’t want to force any situation. He’s closer to being able to play."
"Decisions are made and we hope to get him [ Mbappe] back as soon as possible. We have been rushing, but this game comes too soon. What’s on our minds now is tomorrow’s semi-final and to be able to win and play in the final on Sunday."
Meanwhile, Alonso also discussed the impact of injuries in his squad. The Real Madrid boss said, “During a season everything happens. Maybe in November and December we had a lot of injuries and we had to change a lot of things. We are in the fight to win everything and we have a title in four days. If we beat Atletico we’ll be in the final.”
"We work on a day-to-day basis so that when a player is struggling we can help him. It’s a very demanding club, but we know what we represent and defending this crest is the pride and privilege we have. Every match is the most important. The players feel that way and we are here to help."
Thibaut Courtois is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Real Madrid lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him against Atletico Madrid on Thursday. The backline will feature Federico Valverde, Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rudiger, and Alvaro C arreras.
As for the midfield unit, Eduardo Camavinga will line up alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham in the middle of the park. Finally, Gonzalo Garcia will lead the line for Los Blancos, with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes being the two wide attackers.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Valverde, Huijsen, Rudiger, C arreras; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Garcia, Vinicius Junior.