For Real Madrid there are three players in the injury doubt/needs to pass a late fitness test/touch-and-go category: Brahim Diaz, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. Will any or all feature against Real Sociedad in the season/La Liga finale? Well, this is a match of dead rubber, so why bother risking anybody who is not 100% full go, fully match fit, right?
Besides Real Madrid are in the expanded Club World Cup this summer, and group play for that commences in just 23 days. So again no need to take any risks here.
La Liga Season Finale FYIs
Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad
Kickoff: Sat. May. 24, 4:15pm, El Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material Starting XI Prediction Team News
LL Position, Form: Real Madrid 2nd, 81 pts, WWLWW Real Sociedad 11th, 46 pts, LDLLW
Real Madrid Team News
Already long ruled out, due to injury, are the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal. So when you figure in the suspension of Jude Bellingham, well, now you have at least six players who are guaranteed to miss out on manager Carlo Ancelotti’s farewell.
And if the other three guys who are on the fence all take a rest, well, then you’ll have nine guys who don’t participate in this chapter closing affair.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor 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.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter