Nine games and a solid lead towards the League title. That is the friendly general landscape with which Real Madrid faces the epilogue of the championship. Athletic, already with the Copa del Rey final on the immediate horizon, is the first obstacle for the leader, who loses Vinicius due to a cycle of warnings but recovers Jude Bellingham after the sanction for the protest against Gil Manzano in the controversial final against Valencia in Mestalla.
The return of the Englishman to the eleven and the return of Militao to the squad mark Madrid's reunion with a championship that is very much on track if it maintains its advantage before the classic against Barça at the Bernabéu in two days. «Militao returns, which is the most important news. He is available, obviously he is not at 100% because he needs to play football, but he has recovered very well. He was injured against Athletic in the first leg and returns against Athletic in the second leg,” Ancelotti recalled in the pre-match press conference.
Athletic, immersed in an exciting head-to-head with Atlético for a Champions League spot but less than a week before the dreamed-of Cup final against Mallorca, examines Madrid after the national team break. The dreaded FIFA virus has left Camavinga affected, but beyond the fatigue accumulated at a key moment of the season, the white squad is the most complete of the entire season, with the only absences of Courtois and Alaba.
«The team is fine, those who have returned from the national teams have recovered well. We had a small problem with Camavinga, who trained normally today. We have good feelings although we have to keep in mind that we are playing against a team that is very good, that plays with a lot of intensity and is having a great season, fighting for the Champions League,” summarized Carletto, with “all the confidence in the world before a match important”, prior to a nine-day rest before the expected duel in the Champions League against Guardiola's Manchester City, the real measure of the moment in Madrid.
-Probable alignments:
Real Madrid: Lunin, Carvajal, Rüdiger, Nacho, Mendy, Valverde, Tchouaméni, Kroos, Bellingham, Brahim and Rodrygo.
Athletic: Unai Simón, De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Lekue, De Galarreta, Prados, Iñaki Williams, Sancet, Nico Williams and Guruzeta.
Referee: Alberola Rojas (Castilian-La Mancha).
Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Time and TV: 9:00 p.m. Dazn.
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