Less than 72 hours after their Copa del Rey tie against Celta Vigo ended, Real Madrid are back in action against Las Palmas in their first La Liga match of 2025 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Sunday's match will be Real Madrid's fifth match of the calendar year, which would be just 19 days old. Carlo Ancelotti is very frustrated with the schedule his team has to deal with, he said at his press conference (via Diario AS).
“Not everyone has recovered. We reduced the intensity during today's training, just the tactics. I have often complained about the calendar. A match at 9.30pm – in August I can understand, not in January.”
Endrick Felipe was the hero of Real Madrid's win over Celta as he scored twice in extra time. Ancelotti gave his thoughts on the Brazilian teenager, who struggled for minutes in his first season at the club.
“He has options (to start), but the idea is to use players who are more used to playing, such as Brahim, Mbappé and Rodrygo.
“My idea has never changed (with Endrick). We always count on him, taking the learning period into account. We must take that into account. He is making progress as we thought when he arrived. He is very serious, very professional and benefits from the minutes I give him with goals.”
Given the quick turnaround between Celta and Las Palmas games, significant changes could be made by Ancelotti. One player who could feature is David Alaba, who has never played for Real Madrid since tearing his cruciate ligament 13 months ago.
“Alaba is fine. Yesterday he played 40 minutes. He lacks rhythm, but the knee is fine. He is in the selection and can make minutes. He can't start the game, but he will get minutes.”
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