With two fresh injury concerns for Alvaro Arbeloa and the team to contend with, here are the changes the manager should make as a result of this news.
Earlier today, it was confirmed that Real Madrid stars Arda Guler and Eder Militao would miss the rest of the 25/26 season through injury, though both players are expected to be fit to play at the World Cup this summer.
Although many have given up on the La Liga title, it is not quite over yet. Sure, it is a nine-point gap, but there are still six games to go, including another Clásico. Barcelona have the toothache of a trip to Getafe this weekend, without Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
Therefore, it is important that Alvaro Arbeloa gets the XI replacements right. We are not in a position where he can just experiment, as the team has nothing to play for. It's not over until it's over.
So, how do Los Blancos go around replacing these two players?
Against Alaves, we saw Dean Huijsen come into the starting XI for Antonio Rudiger, who replaced Militao himself on the stroke of half-time. The former Bournemouth player had maybe his best performance in the white shirt so far.
Over the 90 minutes, he recorded 10 clearances, 3/3 ground duels won, 11/12 accurate long balls, and 96 touches of the ball. A dominant defensive display, whilst being very good on the ball and helping with the build-up.
Therefore, it feels pretty sensible to give Huijsen a run of games and a chance to prove himself, with Rudiger as his partner at the heart of the defense, starting tomorrow's game against Real Betis.
As for Guler's replacement, it is a little more difficult. In recent weeks, Arbeloa has gone with the lopsided 442 formation, with varying degrees of success in terms of performance and results.
There is the possibility of playing Vinicius or Kylian Mbappe on the left-hand side in this setup, with the other then partnering Gonzalo Garcia up front. Or, there is the simpler like-for-like change with Brahim Diaz replacing the Turkish international.
Whilst the team could not get the win over the line, Diaz and Vinicius linked up very well in the draw with Girona earlier this month, so that could be what gives the Moroccan the nod here.
That said, Arbeloa did work with Garcia in the academy, so he may be inclined that way, but let's see. Overall, with conscious thought and consideration, Rudiger for Militao (with Huijsen now becoming the first choice with him), and Diaz for Guler should be the changes.
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