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| Luka Modric and Alvaro Odriozola players of Real Madrid are training at Valdebebas training ground on January 01, 2023 in Madrid, Spain. |
Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that both Thibaut Courtois and Dani Carvajal are dealing with minor injuries which will keep them out of Tuesday’s Copa del Rey third-round clash with Cacereno.
The duo both missed an open training session earlier on Monday, prompting concerns over their availability for both this game and upcoming La Liga clashes against the likes of Villarreal and Valencia.
Asked for an explanation for the duo’s absences, Ancelotti confirmed that both Courtois and Carvajal were dealing with minor injuries and will play no part against Cacereno, although he expects both to recover in time to face Villarreal on Saturday.
“They have small problems,” he confessed. “They will be available for the Villarreal game. They are rested tomorrow.”
Ancelotti also revealed that he plans to rest a number of his top stars against Cacereno, who sit sixth in the fourth tier but did beat La Liga’s Girona in the second round of this competition last month.
“[Toni] Kroos, [David] Alaba, [Karim] Benzema, Vinicius [Junior] and [Ferland] Mendy won’t have minutes,” the boss confirmed. “The rest are travelling to play a good game.”
Their places in the squad will be filled by academy players, with Ancelotti adding: “Tomorrow we have Sergio Arribas, Nico Paz, Marvel and Alvaro Rodriguez. They are players who are doing very well with Castilla. Raul is doing a very good job, because the young players are progressing very quickly.
“Also others like Mario Martin, Rafa Marin… The youth academy is producing players who can be useful for the future of Real Madrid.”
