Real Madrid will be gunning to step on the pitch once again after getting two morale-boosting victories against Manchester City and Barcelona. With these wins, the Merengues have overcome the biggest obstacles to their pursuit of another double this season.
However, there are still some testing ties left in the UEFA Champions League and La Liga, and Los Blancos will be participating in one such tie this weekend as they face Real Sociedad in the next league match.
Real Sociedad have played well this season under Imanol Alguacil, and are fighting for a European spot. They come into this match with a five-match unbeaten streak in the league and currently occupy the sixth spot.
Thus, in normal circumstances, Carlo Ancelotti would have put in his strongest possible eleven to take on La Reale. However, there are two reasons why the Italian tactician is expected to rest most of his starting players for this match.
Firstly, his team is set to face Bayern Munich in their upcoming UEFA Champions League match in the semi-final stage, and Ancelotti will want all his starters to be firing on all cylinders for this match.
Secondly, Real Madrid already have an 11-point advantage over Barcelona with only five matches remaining. Thus, the Merengues have enough space in the league to put their full focus on the UCL and rest their key players against a team as difficult as Real Sociedad.
Rodrygo Goes and Ferland Mendy were not even included in the squad, while other starters like Kroos, Vinicius, and Bellingham – who got into the squad after missing out on the original list due to an illness – are all expected to start this game on the bench, while Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz might get some minutes on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Alguacil will have some reinforcements ready for this game, as both Igor Zubeldia and Martin Zubimendi return to availability after having served their suspensions.
Alvaro Odriozola and Takefusa Kubo will be looking to prove a point as they face their former club. However, Hamari Traore and Brais Mendez will both be significant absences for La Reale.
Thus, despite Real Madrid’s sights set on the clash against Bayern Munich, this tie is expected to be a difficult one for both sides.
