Arda Güler finally made his debut with Real Madrid and did this against Arandina

Real Madrid have one goal this Saturday at the Juan Carlos Higuero stadium: to advance to the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey 2024. It is one of the tournaments in which they compete at the start of 2024. Last Wednesday they beat Mallorca in the resumption of La Liga, while next week they will travel to Saudi Arabia to compete with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Osasuna in the Spanish Super Cup.

But before all that they must get a win vs Arandina. The team from the fourth division of Spanish soccer has a historic opportunity, as they know that fans from five continents are watching them and that, if they eliminate Real Madrid, they will make headlines around the world.

Considering the difference in quality between one team and the other, Carlo Ancelotti decided to change 10 of the 11 players who were part of the starting lineup last Wednesday against Real Mallorca. The only one who remained in the team is Fran Garcia. This allowed the coach to give opportunities to players who have not had much participation during the season, such as Vinicius Augusto, Alvaro Carrillo and Nicolás Paz.

But the main novelty is the debut of Arda Guler. The attacking Turkish midfielder was one of last summer's signings, but a knee surgery and two muscle injuries prevented him from playing even a minute with Real Madrid. This Saturday he had the chance to make his debut and showed why he is worth more than $20 million: he created several chances, the most important of which was a free kick that hit the post, when goalkeeper Adrian Alvarez could no longer save it.

The coach must not be satisfied

Despite having had several chances to score the opener, Real Madrid lacked precision and so went into the break with a 0-0 draw. Carlo Ancelotti may make changes during the second half, as he has on the bench stars like Andriy Lunin, Fran, Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal, Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Rodrygo Goes, Federico Valverde, Mario Martin and Alvaro.