For the first La Liga game of 2023 Real Madrid will face an experienced team with a great tradition like Villarreal. Playing against the Yellow Submarine has never been easy and the last victory in their home for Real Madrid has been in February 2017 during the Zidane & CR7 era. From then on there have been quite many draws and tough games between the two teams. Today, Ancelotti’s men will try to break the toughness of their opponent and bring home a victory after 6 years.
Real Madrid arrived in Castellón on Friday and continued the preparations for the clash. The team, who visit La Cerámica Stadium, left from Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport for Castellón, where they landed after a one-hour flight. The players reciprocated the great welcome by signing autographs for the fans. The Real Madrid expedition then travelled to the Castellón Center Hotel, where the players will be staying until shortly before the match against Villarreal.
Ancelotti had already revealed the team available for this games, with the following names:
REAL MADRID SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin and Luis López.
Defenders: E. Militão, Alaba, Vallejo, Nacho, Lucas V., Rüdiger and F. Mendy.
Midfielders: Kroos, Modrić, Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouameni and D. Ceballos.
Forwards: Hazard, Benzema, Asensio, Vini Jr. and Rodrygo.
The Italian Boss also spoke to the media from the press room at Real Madrid City on the day prior to the meeting with Villarreal on LaLiga matchday 16 (4:15pm CET). On Friday the Italian Football and the whole world of football were stricken by a very sad news about the passing of Gianluca Vialli, the iconic Italian player who made history during the 90s. The coach began by addressing the passing of Vialli: “It's a sad day for me, I've lost a friend, a teammate and a great player. May he rest in peace".
He then took questions from journalists and discussed the upcoming opposition: “We have a tough match tomorrow, but we're confident we'll put in a good performance. Villarreal have a very clear identity in the way they play. They play some great football, we want to deliver a top display. We'll have to deliver our best to beat Villarreal and the team looks focused and motivated".
Setien's arrival: “They've changed a bit since Emery left. He's a fan of attacking football and they position themselves really well on the pitch. It's going to be an open game. We have to be at our best to win there”.
Two competitions in 15 days: “We'll put out a fresh team tomorrow. Most of the guys who didn't play against Cacereño. I'll decide who's in the best shape for each game. The Spanish Super Cup is an important trophy for us and I'll try and play the best side".
Fitness following the World Cup: “The guys who played in the final on 18 December don't need much work to get back to optimal fitness, they're already there. The guys who haven't been doing anything for 20 days needed more work. Players are far more professional these days. They rest, stop, but never stop training, just not at 100%. They're always doing something and they come back in good shape. Before you'd get a month off and training was the last thing you'd do".
Praise for Rodrygo” “He's crucial in every game. There's no first choices. I've not rotated Vini Jr. and Benzema too much. When I switch Karim out, he's played at centre-forward. He can play up top and he always makes a difference. He can play in any attacking shape because he's an expert up there”.
On what he asked for from the Three Kings: “I'm used to doing it on 13 December, which is Santa Lucía. I don't usually ask the Kings for anything. Right now, it'd be to match what we achieved in 2022, and we'll try and do all we can to repeat that or better it”.
Guardiola's comments: “I consider myself someone who has a wonderful job and sometimes I get things right, sometimes I don't. I also have the good fortune to be at the best club in the world. Guardiola is a fantastic coach and he's brought something new and interesting to football, and he keeps doing so".
Bellingham: “He showed what a great midfielder he is at the World Cup, like others, Enzo Fernández, Pedri, Gabi… there are a lot of young midfielders coming through and he is one of them. I'm happy with my midfielders: Tchouameni, Camavinga, Valverde…”
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