The Real Madrid injury crisis this season has been extremely severe and very well documented. However, it is eases somewhat this weekend when Aurelien Tchouameni makes his return.
The France international and holding midfielder has now pulled off a much quicker than expected recovery from the foot fracture that he suffered in the October El Clasico.
Real Madrid vs Villarreal FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Dec. 17, 2023, 8 pm, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
La Liga Standings: Real Madrid 2nd, 39 pts Villarreal 14th, 16 pts
La Liga Form: Real Madrid DWWWD Villarreal LDWLL
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid Win 77% Draw 14% Villarreal Win 9%
However, he is not expected to start against Villarreal on Sunday. He’ll be eased back into the mix. And while Tchouameni is back, the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Guler are all still sidelined, for the long haul, for Los Blancos.
While the Yellow Submarine are currently sitting mid-table, they are no easy out. Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti will need to put a strong team out there this weekend, if he is to make sure his side grabs all three points from this one.
We’ll cover that in the next post.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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