Barcelona’s perfect start to the new season has put pressure on Real Madrid early on. The defending champions, after all, dropped two points against Mallorca and currently sit five points behind the leaders, albeit with a game in hand.
The men in white play their third game of the league season on tonight against Luis Miguel Carrion’s Las Palmas side and will be put to a tough test away from home.
Gran Canaria will play host to Carlo Ancelotti’s men, and while it is a venue they have dominated in recent years, they only took three points at the stadium last season courtesy of a late strike by Aurelien Tchouameni.
Heading into the game, the hosts sit on just one point in two games with one defeat and one draw to their name. Real Madrid will thus fancy their chances and hope to maintain the pressure on Las Palmas.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Las Palmas vs Real Madrid.
Time for minor rotations
The 2024-25 campaign is just getting started but is set to go down as one of the most hectic seasons in the history of the game.
Real Madrid, as defending champions both domestically and in Europe, have the pressure of being the favourites and cannot let their guard down at any point. Optimal squad management, needless to say, becomes paramount.
With the team playing its second game in less than a week, Carlo Ancelotti must set the tone concerning rotations straight starting tonight, however minor they may be.
For starters, Ferland Mendy will likely replace Fran Garcia at left-back after completing his suspension and resting at the weekend. Dani Carvajal, meanwhile, is likely to be rested at right-back with Lucas Vazquez taking his place.
The clash at Gran Canaria could also bring with it a first start for Luka Modric whose role has been highly subdued to this point. He could take the place of Federico Valverde who has been a constant feature over the past three games.
While there may be changes in the final third, the topic warrants a segment of its own given the intricacies and complexities associated with the gold-mine of options Ancelotti has.
The Guler-Diaz conundrum
Jude Bellingham’s injury earlier this month came as a big blow to Ancelotti’s plans given that the youngster was just recovering to his best version.
It did, however, open the door for some of the team’s other talented youngsters who have been waiting for their chance to shine for a long time.
Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz, by far, were the manager’s two strong candidates to replace the Englishman in the starting lineup and Ancelotti eventually opted for the Turkish star to earn the start.
Playing as the attacking midfielder, the youngster dished out a confident display with flawless distribution, good vision, a key pass and a stunning three shots on target.
While his performance would be celebrated on any other day, Diaz’s cameo on the night changed the perception.
Coming on for just 21 minutes, the Moroccan star recorded one goal and one assist in addition to a 100% pass completion rate and one key pass. His cameo made a strong claim for a place in the starting lineup, leaving Ancelotti with a dilemma.
The manager must thus choose if he opts to deploy Guler or Diaz tonight in the place of Jude Bellingham. A third option would be to start both players and rest Rodrygo Goes, giving Diaz a place on the right wing.
Pressure growing on Mbappe
Coming in as Real Madrid’s marquee signing after years of melodrama, Kylian Mbappe was always going to be under pressure at the Spanish capital.
The Frenchman handled the weight of the expectation well on debut, scoring a wonderful goal and pitching in with useful contributions against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup.
His first two games in Spain, however, have not seen him replicate the same impact and his struggles in front of goal were well documented in the team’s latest clash.
Mbappe was inspiring against Mallorca, creating threat time and time again in the hosts’ box. However, he simply could not find the finish and had both his shots on target saved.
Against Valladolid, the World Cup winner was a shadow of his best as he missed two big chances and was poor in the face of goal.
Heading into his third game in La Liga, the pressure is thus steadily growing on Mbappe and will continue to do so until he scores his first goal. Given his quality, it is only a matter of time and the Gran Canaria could be the stadium where he makes it happen.
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