Ancelotti has one big player back in his squad ahead of a tough test in Vallecas.
The Christmas lights have been turned on in the Spanish capital, but they will be outshone by the floodlights (as uncertain as one can be at Vallecas) in the stadium as Real Madrid roll into town to take on Rayo Vallecano on matchday 17 of the season 2024-2025. LaLiga season.
It's only 10 kilometers from Santiago Bernabéu to the Estadio de Vallecas, but the two worlds couldn't be further apart: the glossy glamor of the chic part of town, full of banks and luxury fashion stores, boasting their 85,000-seat Arena which recently welcomed Taylor Swift, while a neglected three-sided site sits in the tapas bar-filled tight streets of the working-class area, with fans queuing outside over the past few days thanks to lack of, apart from anything from the hated president Raúl Martín Presa, an online ticketing service.
Despite the club's third-tier infrastructure, Rayo Vallecano are twelfth in the LaLiga with Iñigo Pérez at the helm and the atmosphere in the Estadio de Vallecas will be as loud as ever by the time the ball is rolling in a wintery Madrid.
Their opponents will have to make do without a few key names for the match, but that won't stop the fans from filling every seat and making things as awkward as possible.
Real Madrid injury update vs Rayo Vallecano
Ahead of the match, Ancelotti announced his squad, all but ensuring the absences of Militão Carvajal, Mendy and Alaba, with the latter needing just a few weeks of recovery time.
As for Kylian Mbappe, who went down in Real Madrid's thrilling victory over Serie A leaders Atalanta, he will not feature in the match after undergoing scans that will keep him out of action for around 10 days.
There is good news though: Eduardo Camavinga is “ready” to play, according to Ancelotti, who surprised us all with the update at his pre-match press conference.
The Frenchman was injured against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League, a 2-0 defeat that could easily have been labeled as his best game for the Spanish side in a long time.
Camavinga was everywhere in midfield, sweeping up loose passes and shutting down the Reds' flying attackers. His injury was the start of the night's collapse (and Mbappe's penalty miss, of course), and his return undoubtedly brought a sigh of relief from Ancelotti.
The LaLiga Matchday 17 match between Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid will be played at the Estadio de Vallecas, Spain, on Saturday, December 14, 2024. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT.
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