On Monday, Real Madrid will enter the 2024-25 Copa del Rey, as they take on Deportiva Minera at the round of 16 stage. Los Blancos will fancy their chances of winning the competition, although Carlo Ancelotti intends to play a significantly weakened team for the match, given that it comes before next week’s trip to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup.
As per MD, the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Antonio Rudiger, Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe are to be rested, with Raul Asencio, Arda Guler and Endrick Felipe set to start.
Furthermore, Ancelotti is expected to hand first team debuts to midfielder Chema Andres and attacker Gonzalo Garcia Torres. Both players have impressed in the youth categories over the last 12 months, and this would be their reward.
It is undoubtedly a risk for Real Madrid to rest so many first team players for the match, although they should still have more than enough quality to progress to the quarter-final stage of the Copa del Rey.
