Real Madrid and Elche will meet for the 2nd time in just a few days, but this time they will play for the 22nd Matchday of La Liga and the match will take place at Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid comes from a thrilling victory in Copa del Rey where Elche showed their best and were really close on defeating the Galacticos. On Sunday night Madridistas will try to get the most from this match in order to deepen the difference with the closest followers and Sevilla’s draw vs Elche will give Madrid a great chance to do that.
Real Madrid return to LaLiga action after a 15-day absence. Having clinched the Spanish Super Cup and booked their place in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, the Whites will host Elche on Sunday night at the Santiago Bernabéu, which will pay tribute to the late Francisco Gento before the game.
Carlo Ancelotti appeared in an online press conference from Real Madrid City on the day prior to the clash with Elche. The Italian discussed the LaLiga matchday 22 encounter, set to take place at the Santiago Bernabéu (Sunday, 4:15pm CET). He said: “We found it tough to beat them in the Copa. They're in good form and they will come here with a similar approach. We'll have to be resilient and show good motivation because there are three important points to play for".
“The team is in pretty good shape, we've got Asensio, Vallejo and Mariano out with muscular issues and Carvajal remains positive. Tomorrow is a good day to play Hazard from the start and I hope it's a good game for him. Gareth is improving physically and training with the team every day”, the coach added.
Schedule: “The calendar doesn't make sense. It's not an issue that only affects Real Madrid, it's a matter for every club. We're not going to put pressure on any other team. We'll play with the guys who are available and that's all there is to it, but the calendar is madness and it must be resolved sooner rather than later. We know our Brazilian lads want to play for their national team. They're going to go with Brazil and the coach will make his decisions and then they'll be back. We won't pressure anyone”.
The Italian coach has called the following players for the match:
Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin and Fuidias.
Defenders: E. Militão, Alaba, Nacho, Marcelo and F. Mendy.
Midfielders: Kroos, Modrić, Casemiro, Valverde, Lucas V., D. Ceballos, Isco and Camavinga.
Forwards: Hazard, Benzema, Jović, Bale, Vini Jr. and Rodrygo.
The teams
Carlo Ancelotti’s men top the league table and remain unbeaten on home soil this season with a record of seven wins and three draws. Against Elche, the madridistas will go in search of their sixth straight victory in all competitions. This evening’s clash will bring a demanding first month of the year to an end, as the international break begins next week.
Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militão and Karim Benzema are the new inclusions to the Italian’s squad in relation to Thursday’s Copa del Rey tie. The hosts will certainly be glad to see the return of the LaLiga top goal-scorer, who has found the net in three successive games, with a brace against Valencia and his strikes in Saudi Arabia against Barcelona and Athletic Club.
On the other hand, Elche currently sit in 15th position and will go into the clash on the back of a home win against Villarreal (1-0) last time out in LaLiga. They also head to the Santiago Bernabéu on a three-game unbeaten run in the competition, having prevailed against Espanyol (1-2) and held Granada to a goalless draw. Lucas Boyé, with six goals, is the team’s top goal-scorer.
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