Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Jude Bellingham is fit for El Clasico after the Englishman trained on Friday, and dropped several hints about his starting XI for the clash.
Bellingham came off late on against Braga on Tuesday, limping as he did so, but both Ancelotti and Bellingham himself have confirmed that he will be there.
“Bellingham is going to play because he is fine. He has recovered and is training today. He made a good recovery yesterday and they have taken away the strain he felt. He does not need explanations of what a Clasico is because the professionals watch all the games and the whole world knows what the Clasico is. It is a game that everyone watches and one of the most important.”
"Bellingham is fine, what matters to me is that Bellingham is there, and then, the rest. There will be XI of them."
– Carlo Ancelotti.#RealMadrid #ElClasico #Barca pic.twitter.com/20wUZE52sG
— Football España (@footballespana_) October 27, 2023
The 20-year-old has his place assured, but there are doubts about one position in particular. Fran Garcia, Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga are all options for Los Blancos at left-back, but it appears Ancelotti is not considering Garcia.
“Camavinga has done well. Mendy has an advantage because he rested in the Champions League match. I have confidence in everyone. The possibility of a player starting and finishing the match is very small. I know that whoever does not start the match will also contribute a lot. Everyone is convinced of this, both those who play from the beginning and those who come off the bench.”
Veteran Luka Modric looks as if for the first time in a long time, he will start El Clasico on the bench due to performance reasons, but Ancelotti said he would not be explaining himself to the Croatian.
“They are all professionals and do not ask for explanations. In the same way, I do not usually give explanations to those who do not play. There is nothing to worry about.”
It is hard to take either Ancelotti or Xavi Hernandez at face value ahead of El Clasico, as it would be no surprise if both were looking to surprise the other. Real Madrid have a relatively settled system, but plenty of variations in terms of players, Meanwhile Xavi explained that Barcelona would be bold, daring and look to attack, but the latest reporting is that Barcelona may make a defensive switch.
