Squad list and Ancelotti’s words ahead of Valencia: “It’s going to be a really demanding match...”

Today Real Madrid will travel to Valencia to meet the city’s team in Mestalla. It will be a tough match as always is when Valencia is the opponent but this week Real Madrid will have that psychological boost that always makes wonders. After taking a great victory in Milan on Wednesday Carletto’s men will try to do the same in Mestalla. Valencia has been playing great games since the beginning of the new season collecting 10 points in 4 weeks! If Real manages to win the team will be alone at the top of the table as Atletico Madrid did not go further than a goalless draw in the match against Bilbao.

Carlo Ancelotti has named his squad list for Valencia vs Real Madrid on Sunday night, with Los Blancos travelling easy without several of their top players. The Italian has a 22-man squad for the game, but is without six players. Those absentees are the injured Ferland Mendy, Marcelo, Toni Kroos, Dani Ceballos, Gareth Bale and Mariano. That, therefore, presents some issues at left-back and in midfield. The coach also said in his pre-match press conference that Eden Hazard has been dealing with a minor knee issue.

The 22 players who are travelling to Valencia for the game are as follows: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Toni Fuidias, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Jesus Vallejo, Nacho, Miguel Gutierrez, Luka Modric, Marco Asensio, Casemiro, Fede Valverde, Lucas Vazquez, Isco, Eduardo Camavinga, Antonio Blanco, Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, Luka Jovic, Vinicius and Rodrygo.

Yesterday, the Real Madrid boss also spoke in the virtual press conference ahead of his side’s clash against Valencia, on matchday five of LaLiga (Sunday, 9 pm CEST). He said: “The team is going to recover in terms of fitness. Not everyone has recovered yet, but I think the team will be ok tomorrow. We’ve got a tough match against Valencia who have been playing well. They’re on a good run and are full of confidence. It’s going to be a really demanding match for us and we have to be well prepared for it. Of course, it concerns me that Valencia are playing well, with great intensity. I’m not concerned about anything else. We have to be well prepared because we’re up against a team that is in top form”.

About Hazard: “Hazard didn’t play because he his knee wasn’t right, and he was in a bit of discomfort yesterday. He’s trained and is going to train again today. We’ll see how it pans out. Hazard has improved in terms of fitness and we have to be careful because he’s had a few injuries in the past. He’s not quite up to the level of fitness that we would like to see, but he’s working hard and we’re confident we’ll see him back to his best soon”.

Bale’s condition: “We still don’t know how long he will need to recover. It’s quite a bad injury, but it’s hard to know how long. It’s a shame because he had been doing well for us and his country. We have to wait. Sometimes players pick up injuries due to the high number of games they have to play”.

Playing four games in just ten days: “The team is fine physically. The statistics show that we improve in the second half of games. We have to improve in the first half of games. The team is in good shape and those who aren’t playing also have to be in top condition”.

Camavinga’s adaptation: “It’s surprised me. We all know about his physical and technical attributes. He’s also shown his personality and character on the pitch, which we didn’t know so much about. He has a strong personality. He doesn’t let what’s going on in the game affect him and he has confidence in his ability”.

“It’s important to speak and communicate to the players when you take decisions. Sometimes you send players off to warm up for 35 minutes and they don’t get to play, so it’s important to be clear with them about this because you have an idea of the game and that can change later. You have to be patient with my decisions because I make them for the good of the team, not for the individual side”, the coach added.

About Rodrygo’s performances and potential: “He’s a complete forward. He’s really quick and has great ability. He’s very composed in front of goal and he can play in any position in attack. He’s still very young, but he represents the present and future for Real Madrid”.

Vini Jr.: “He’s playing at the same level as he was before I came here. He has immense quality in a one-on-one situation. He’s had a great start to the season and has been scoring goals, which is important. But I’m not a magician, just a coach and I try to give every player the confidence they need to express themselves on the pitch. There are many qualities required that can help carry the team: personality, character, charisma or quality. Vini Jr. carried the team against Levante, scoring two goals in 35 minutes to help us avoid defeat. He’s a young player and now he has the quality to lead the team. But he’ll also do so when he’s older because of his experience”.

Casemiro and a potential replacement: “It’s not easy to find the same defensive qualities in other players. We don’t have another player with the same characteristics. We have different ones with different attributes. I hope he can play every game. If not, I’ll have to change the plan a bit and the strategy for the team. The double holding-midfielder set up is a possible solution”.

Demanding fixture list: “Rotations are essential. It’s important to rotate because players get tired and we have to look after others. Rotating is a must. They won’t be massive rotations, but you have to change the players you use a bit”.

Speaking about potential recruits for next season: “At this moment, the club president, José Ángel Sánchez and I aren’t talking about signings, only about what the team has to do this season”.