Without Vinicius and Bellingham, this is Real Madrid's XI for Copa del Rey debut vs Arandina

The start of 2024 is very demanding for Real Madrid. On Wednesday, in the resumption of La Liga, they got a key 1-0 win against Real Mallorca that allowed them to stay as leaders of the standings along with Girona. With just three days of rest, they now traveled to the city of Aranda de Duero to face Arandina, a club from the fourth division of Spanish soccer, at the Juan Carlos Higuero stadium.

There they will make their debut in the Copa del Rey 2024, looking for a victory that will allow them to advance to the round of 16. And that's not all, as immediately after the match they will fly to Saudi Arabia to prepare for the Spanish Super Cup. That could be their first title of the year, but it will not be an easy task, as they will first have to beat Atlético Madrid in the semifinals and then the winner between Barcelona and Osasuna.

With this scenario, coach Carlo Ancelotti decided that most of the squad's stars will travel to Aranda de Duero for this Saturday's match. The exceptions are Toni Kroos, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Vinicius Junior. The German midfielder is recovering from a physical problem suffered in the match vs Mallorca, while the French player and the Brazilian winger will be rested.

Real Madrid's starting lineup will be: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Tobias, Carrillo, Nacho, Fran Garcia; Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler, Nicolas Paz; Brahim Diaz, Joselu. In addition, on the bench will be Andriy Lunin, Fran, Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal, Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Rodrygo Goes, Federico Valverde, Mario Martin and Alvaro.

For them it is an unforgettable day

Arandina will have an incredible opportunity this Saturday: they will receive in their stadium one of the most important clubs in Europe. They know that the whole world will be watching them and that's why they will do their best to get a victory. Coach Alex Izquierdo chose this XI: Adrian; Atom, Deiby, Jaime, Pesca, Haji; Vitolo, Zazu, Santa; Frodo, Ayoub.