Sports Mole looks at how Real Madrid could line up in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Real Sociedad.
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is expected to return to the starting lineup for Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Real Sociedad.
Bellingham was unavailable for Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Girona as he served the first game of a two-match La Liga ban for swearing at the referee.
The Englishman is now set to return to the lineup for Wednesday’s away fixture, although Real Madrid are still without the services of long-term absentees Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao.
There is also a belief that Uruguay international Federico Valverde could be given more valuable rest after being left on the bench at the weekend.
Andriy Lunin will replace first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, having appeared in Real Madrid’s previous three Copa del Rey games against Deportivo Minera, Celta Vigo and Leganes.
Antonio Rudiger is set to return to the backline after being rested for Sunday’s league fixture, with the Germany international set to partner Raul Asencio in central defence.
Lucas Vazquez should retain his place on the right side of a back four, while Ancelotti could be tempted to give Fran Garcia the chance to play over Ferland Mendy at left-back.
The experienced Luka Modric is likely to drop to the bench despite scoring a stunning goal to give Real Madrid a narrow half-time lead against Girona.
The Croatian could be replaced by either Dani Ceballos or Eduardo Camavinga, with one of the two poised to feature alongside Aurelien Tchouameni in the Real Madrid engine room.
There is a possibility that Ancelotti could decide to rest one or two of his attacking stars, but if he opts to name a full-strength side then Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior will operate either side of Bellingham in the three behind Kylian Mbappe.
The Frenchman, who has top-scored for Real Madrid this season, will look to add to the 27 goals he has scored across all competitions, including a strike in the Copa del Rey quarter-final win over Celta Vigo.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:Lunin; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Garcia; Ceballos, Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
> Click here to see how Real Sociedad could line up for the semi-final clash
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