Real Madrid are set to take on Chelsea in their final friendly of the ongoing pre-season tour of the United States.
The reigning European champions will be desperate for a win after slumping to a narrow victory at the hands of arch-rivals Barcelona in the last friendly.
Heading into this game, coach Carlo Ancelotti are still dealing with the absences of many first-team stars including Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga, among others.
In any case, Ancelotti has given chances to many youth players in these friendlies and that trend could continue as Real Madrid take on Chelsea, later in the day. Here’s how Los Blancos could line up when they face the Blues in their final pre-season friendly.
Defence
Thibaut Courtois played the entirety of the ninety minutes against Barcelona and he could continue to do so, as Andriy Lunin has still yet to make a final decision on his future.
In fact, Ancelotti is unlikely to make too many changes from the backline that started against Barcelona, with Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger occupying the central defence.
In the second half, the Italian tactician could hand an opportunity to defensive prodigy Joan Martinez, as he did in the Barcelona game.
Elsewhere in defence, Lucas Vazquez and Fran Garcia remain guaranteed starters in the absence of Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy.
As the second half kicks in, coach Ancelotti could deploy youth player Rafael Obrador in place of Garcia on the left flank.
Midfield
Deploying a well-oiled midfield unit could be a challenge for Real Madrid in the absence of key players such as Aurelien Tchouameni, Bellingham, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga.
At the same time, this will give Ancelotti an ideal excuse to hand another start to young midfield prodigy Mario Martin.
The youngster is likely to operate alongside a more experienced Luka Modric. Ancelotti, though, could make one change in midfield.
Dani Ceballos could could occupy the third slot in Real Madrid’s three-man midfield setup with Arda Guler likely to be given a breather due to some discomfort he felt earlier in the week.
Attack
After having used him as a substitute against Barcelona, Ancelotti will finally deploy Vinicius Junior in the final third.
The Brazilian international came on as a substitute in the game against Barcelona. He will look to make a bigger impact in a starting role against Chelsea.
With Vinicius returning to the side, Real Madrid fans will be able to witness the Brazilian attacking trifecta of him, Rodrygo and new signing Endrick, for the first time.
It will be interesting to see how Endrick, who has joined the club with much promise, connects with his compatriots as Real Madrid look to return to winning ways against Chelsea.
Ancelotti has no shortage of alternatives, though. In the second half, the Italian will have the option to deploy Nico Paz, who scored Real Madrid’s only goal against Barcelona.
Brahim Diaz and Juanmi Latasa are other options for Ancelotti, should he look for more variety in the Real Madrid frontline.