Real Madrid are not going into the upcoming Madrid derby in the best of circumstances. Although their form has been highly promising, with five wins in their last five matches, and an unbeaten streak of 39 games in La Liga, they are still without some of their key players for this match.
David Alaba and Dani Ceballos are still out with their injuries, while the team’s top scorer, Kylian Mbappe, is also ruled out for this game with a muscle injury that he suffered in the game against Alaves.
However, one source of relief for Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the game against Atletico Madrid could be Eduardo Camavinga, who has returned to training and has trained with the rest of the team in the last two sessions.
The Frenchman’s recovery has gone very well, and he has already passed the tests put to him in the last two training sessions. The team has one more training session left ahead of the game against Atletico, and if things go well, MARCA reports that the €100 million midfielder can very well start the game against the Mattress Makers.
Ancelotti’s staff has been thinking about giving the Frenchman a start against Atletico for the last few days. They are encouraged by a similar instance when Camavinga returned from one and a half months on the sidelines by directly slotting into the starting lineup. But that time, the game was Arandina in the Copa del Rey, and not against a side as intense as Atletico Madrid.
Ultimately, it will be Ancelotti’s decision whether to start the French midfielder in this game or bring him in as a substitute. If he starts, the team will be able to revert to a diamond formation, with Jude Bellingham and Valverde having lesser defensive duties, and Camavinga and Tchouameni having a greater defensive role in the midfield.