Real Madridvs.Celta Vigo

Los Blancos are still reeling from Sunday's heavy 5-2 defeat in the Spanish Super Cup final against Clasico rivals Barcelona.

Aurelien Tchouameni struggled in his makeshift centre-back role in the final loss, and the Frenchman could now be taken out of the backline for the upcoming Copa del Rey fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Asencio is poised to make his fifth start for the first team, with the 21-year-old pushing to feature in central defence alongside Antonio Rudiger.

Lucas Vazquez is set to retain his place on the right side of the backline despite coming under scrutiny from some quarters, while Fran Garcia could come in to freshen up the left-back position.

In goal, Ukraine international Andriy Lunin could replace Thibaut Courtois after playing in the 5-0 victory over Deportivo Minera in the third round of the Copa del Rey.

Meanwhile, Federico Valverde is likely to be joined in the engine by either Eduardo Camavinga or Tchoumeni, although the former is a doubt due to illness.

While Ancelotti could be tempted to rotate his attacking options, he will be desperate to avoid a surprise Copa del Rey exit, which is why he may opt to play Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior in the three attackers behind the forward, rather than turning to the likes of Arda Guler or Brahim Diaz.

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe is expected to spearhead the Real Madrid attack, with the Frenchman looking to add to the 10 competitive goals he has scored this season.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup: Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe

Written by

Ben Sully