Big Star gets what he wants

On By Littum

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti will make changes to his attack when he hosts Sevilla at the Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon in Spain.

Vinicius Jr. is suspended for the La Liga game, which is Los Blancos’ final outing in 2024.

According to reports from e.g SEAMthe Brazilian has been given an early holiday to Miami and will return to the Spanish capital on December 30 with a key clash against Valencia on the horizon on January 3.

That very match is an important match Madrid have over FC Barcelona, ​​who lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid on Saturday and could fall behind in the title race by as many as five-six points in the near future.

With Vinicius absent, Kylian Mbappe can be put on his preferred left wing as Rodrygo takes the central striker role and Brahim is brought in on the right.

In midfield, Eduardo Camavinga is the focal point behind Jude Bellingham, the surprising inclusion of Dani Ceballos and Fede Valverde, while there is no place for captain Luka Modric in the side.

That logic continues to apply to 2024/2025 breakout star Raul Asencio, who will once again see Aurelien Tchouameni in his place from the sidelines.

The defensive midfielder joins Toni Rudiger at the heart of the backline, while Fran Garcia is cut because Ancelotti will go with a flat back-three completed by Lucas Vazquez at right-back to help protect Thibaut Courtois’ goal.

Amid revealing a Christmas wish for 2025 at the pre-match press conference to preview this game, Ancelotti showed his men are enjoying playing in front of their fans after many road trips of late, which include winning the Intercontinental Cup -final at Pachuca’s expense in Lusail, Qatar on Wednesday.

“We return to the Bernabeu after many away games… And to finish the year here, with our fans, is very exciting. We want to finish 2024 well. Sevilla is an opponent that competes well in every game, but the goal is very clear: to end this year with a win,” Ancelotti said.

Real Madrid vs. Sevilla Starting XI: Courtois; Rudiger, Tchouameni, Lucas Vazquez; Camavinga, Bellingham, Ceballos, Valverde; Mbappe, Rodrygo, Brahim