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Real Madrid fans are confident of beating Athletic Club today (March 31) after Carlo Ancelotti named his team for the encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos can move eight points clear of Barca with a victory tonight. They are surging towards the La Liga title and have won 22 of 29 games.
Real Madrid are without Eduardo Camavinga (injury) and Vinicius Junior (suspension) but otherwise have a strong starting XI. They beat Los Leones 2-0 away from home in August and will look to put in a similar performance tonight.
Ancelotti has started Andriy Lunin in goal amid a stunning run of form filling in for the injured Thibaut Courtois. The Ukrainian goalkeeper has kept 10 clean sheets in 23 games across competitions.
Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernandez, Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy are in defense. The Bernabeu faithful will eagerly await Eder Militao's introduction as the Brazilian is on the bench after recovering from an ACL injury.
Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchoumaeni, and Toni Kroos continue in midfield. The latter flourished on his return to international football with Germany this past week.
Jude Bellingham will look to continue his prolific form and he's in attack alongside Brahim Diaz and Rodrygo. The two wingers will be looking to impress with Vinicius missing the game.
One fan praised Ancelotti's team selection:
"Best lineup we can use."
Another fan backed the hosts to run riot:
"We are winning 4-o aren't we."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Real Madrid's starting XI vs Athletic Club:
Dani Ceballos is reportedly considering leaving Real Madrid this summer
Dani Ceballos has been named on Ancelotti's bench tonight which has been a constant for the Spanish midfielder. He's struggled for first-team opportunities, starting just one of 14 La Liga games, posting one assist.
Marca (via Football Espana) reports that the 27-year-old is contemplating his future. He's envisioning a move to help reignite his career amid his lack of game time at Real Madrid.
Ceballos signed a new long-term deal with the La Liga giants last summer. He expected to play a prominent role under Ancelotti this season but this hasn't happened.
Reports claim that Real Betis are interested in signing Ceballos this summer. He has three years left on his contract and is valued by Transfermarkt at €8 million.
Ceballos joined Real Madrid from Betis in July 2017 for €16.5 million. He's failed to cement himself as a regular and spent two years at Premier League heavyweights Arsenal (2019-21).
