Real Madrid Vs. Valencia Preview: Ancelotti’s Lineup Has Huge Surprise

The starting team for Real Madrid has a surprising change for their match against Valencia.

There's going to be a big surprise in store for Real Madrid fans as their team takes on Valencia at the Mestalla on Saturday evening. The La Liga leaders are preparing to shake things up with their line up.

Despite holding a six-point lead at the top of the table, Los Blancos have been experiencing difficulties in recent times.

Ever since Real Madrid defeated Girona 4-0 at the Bernabeu on February 10, their performance has not been able to surpass one goal in a single game. They managed to clinch slender wins against Leipzig in the Champions League and Sevilla domestically.

Borussia Dortmund achieved three consecutive wins with a 1-0 scoreline, split by a 1-1 tie against Rayo Vallecano. However, the upcoming weekend may bring more goals as Jude Bellingham is expected to make a return to the starting lineup after fully recovering from an ankle injury.

During his pre-game press conference on Friday afternoon, coach Ancelotti disclosed that he is entirely fit.

Although he hasn't had many training sessions with the squad, he's in great form. His ankle feels completely fine, and he's set to participate in tomorrow's match.

However, the Italian also mentioned that Madrid struggles to score against a strong opponent at Mestalla.

According to Ancelotti, we must perform to the best of our abilities. He stated that our team has undergone rigorous training and we currently possess a more extensive assortment of players.

Beginning with Bellingham, the team will have Andriy Lunin as goalkeeper, and will be backed up by Ferland Mendy, Aurelien Tchouameni filling in as center back, Antonio Rudiger, and Dani Carvajal.

Toni Kroos and Eduardo Camavinga are situated at the center of the field in the midfield area. Alongside them, to their left is Bellingham, and to their right is Ernesto Valverde.

At the upper part, there's a duo of Brazilian players composed of Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr., and all attention is focused on Vinicius Jr.

The reason for this is that the player from Rio de Janeiro suffered from racist insults during his previous visit to that stadium. However, Ancelotti disregarded this and still decided to include him in the team, without hesitating even for a second.

The plan is to participate in a significant football game. Why? Because the spectators expect to watch an entertaining event. We should bear in mind what occurred last year and Valencia was justified in pointing out those fans because racism is unlawful," stated Ancelotti.

Real Madrid's lineup against Valencia consists of Lunin as the goalkeeper, Mendy, Tchouameni, Rudiger, and Carvajal as defenders. The midfield includes Camavinga, Kroos, Bellingham, and Valverde while the forward positions are filled by Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo.