Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin had a poor showing tonight, in the 4-2 Copa Del Rey round of 16 elimination loss at Atletico Madrid. And this subpar performance cost him his starting gig, at least for the time being.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Lunin will be dropped, in favor of Kepa Arrizabalaga, when Los Blancos host Almeria in La Liga play on Sunday.
Real Madrid vs Almeria FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Jan. 21, 2024, 4:15 pm, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
La Liga Standings: Real Madrid 2nd 48 pts Almeria 20th, 6 pts
La Liga Form: Real Madrid WWWDW Almeria DLLDL
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid 84% Draw 10% Almeria 6%
When asked about Lunin specifically in the post match press conference however, Ancelotti said he didn’t want to do any “individual analysis,” with the Italian instead providing an answer that included the following:
“We could have done better when the game was tied, we didn’t need to force the plays so much and we did it. We are young, this was the key.”
He also said during the session:
“We have young people with extraordinary quality, who try. [But] there are times in games when forcing the play isn’t necessary.”
In terms of other team news, Lucas Vazquez is moving closer towards a return from his hamstring injury, but this match may come too soon for him.
Meanwhile Alvaro Carrillo is out with a thigh injury, for which the timeline for return is unknown.
Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba remain out as long-term injury absentees.
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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