Real Madrid are looking to arrest their mid-season slump by winning some silverware as they prepare to take on Valencia in the semi-finals of the Supercopa de Espana.
Los Blancos now sit three points behind rivals Barcelona in La Liga’s standings after they were beaten by Villarreal at the weekend, while they have not put in a convincing performance since thrashing Celtic in the Champions League at the start of November.
What better tonic for a team like Real Madrid than to win a trophy to help them out of their funk. Here’s all you need to know about their Supercopa tie.
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Real Madrid team news
Carlo Ancelotti made Real Madrid history in their loss to Villarreal on Saturday by naming the club’s first ever starting lineup not to feature a Spanish player.
His next lineup may not feature Aurelien Tchouameni or David Alaba, both of whom are being evaluated after picking up calf injuries. Ancelotti could welcome Spaniard Dani Carvajal back into the fold following a ‘muscle overload’, though Alvaro Odriozola and Mariano Diaz are expected to miss out.
Real Madrid starting 11 (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Camavinga, Modric, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius
Valencia team news
Gennaro Gattuso only has one injury headache to really worry about, with Barcelona loanee Nico Gonzalez set to miss another month with a foot injury.
The Italian could make several changes following a surprise defeat at home to Cadiz on Friday night.
Valencia starting 11 (4-3-3): Mamardashvili; Correira, Comert, Gabriel, Gaya; Almeida, Guillamon, Musah; Castillejo, Cavani, Kluivert
Real Madrid may be in a rut, but these kinds of slumps don’t last long in the Spanish capital.
The squad is full of winners, their manager is a winner, and they have obvious quality to get themselves out of this hole.
The same cannot be said for Valencia, who have stumbled from one crisis to another and are middling at the halfway point in the season. Expect Los Blancos to return to form in pursuit of silverware.
Prediction: Real Madrid 3-1 Valencia
Credit: 90min.com
