Real Madrid face a quick turnaround for their Copa del Rey quarter final clash at Leganes on February 5.
Los Blancos are eyeing a victory at their local rivals but Carlo Ancelotti is expected to field a rotated side in the south of Madrid.
Ancelotti has continued his criticism of a packed fixture schedule this season with more games now added to the agenda.
By dropping into the UEFA Champions League last 16 play offs, Real Madrid have to navigate past Manchester City for a fourth successive season, with home and away legs.
Added to three extra travel involved in heading to Qatar and Saudi Arabia either side of the start of 2025, Ancelotti’s players are in clear need of a break, which will come in the Copa.
As per reports from Marca, key trio Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe all missed training today, and are unlikely to start at Leganes.
Courtois could be given the night off completely, with Andriy Lunin drafted in between the posts, but Bellingham and Mbappe could be kept in reserve on the bench.
Ancelotti’s greater priority is a possible league title decider against Atletico Madrid this weekend, and he wants his main stars fit, with Antonio Rudiger already ruled out through injury.
David Alaba could be handed a first start in over 13 months as Rudiger’s replacement with Ancelotti keen to test the Austrian’s capabilities ahead of those two battle with Pep Guardiola later this month.
Based on the win over Celta Vigo in the previous round, Ancelotti could refresh the majority of his team, despite his desire to win the competition.
The Italian has never won a La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble, across two stints in Madrid, and despite the excessive amount of games, he wants to keep fighting across all fronts in 2025.
