Real Madrid’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, announced the absence of two players from the royal club for the match against Deportivo Minera in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey.
During the pre-match press conference on Sunday, the Italian coach stated that he decided to rest goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for the match, confirming that backup Andriy Lunin will start instead.
In the same context, Ancelotti chose to rest Antonio Rüdiger as well, excluding him from the match to give more minutes to other players.
It has been confirmed that Raúl Asensio will lead the defensive line, alongside either Aurélien Tchouaméni or Jesús Vallejo, depending on the latter’s physical condition.
Vinicius Junior has been included in the squad as usual and may play some minutes, although his red card against Valencia will see him miss at least two La Liga matches.
According to the regulations of the Spanish Football Federation, at least seven first-team players must be included in any Copa del Rey match, so Ancelotti will not be able to rest everyone.
After the Minera match on Monday, Real Madrid will travel to Saudi Arabia to compete in the Spanish Super Cup, starting with a semi-final clash against Real Mallorca on Thursday. If they win, they will face the winner of the Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao match in the final next Sunday.
