Carlo Ancelotti's team could play a maximum of nine matches in the first month of the new year.
The Italian coach stated before the break: “First of all we have to rest. We gave the players an individual program of three training sessions. I think they will come back well and not lose anything fitness-wise within a week. They need to relax, have a good time with their families and when we come back, we need to be ready. We have a match very soon: on January 3 against Valencia.”
The first-team squad will return to training on December 30.
To start the year, 'Los Blancos' head to the Mestalla to take on Valencia, with the match originally suspended due to the tragic flood that should have seen the match played in early November.
Cup double
Madrid are next involved in the cup competition, with the first being a Copa del Rey third round match against 2A RFEF (fourth tier) Deportiva Minera in Cartagena on January 6.
Three days later, on January 9, the Spanish Super Cup tournament starts in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) when Madrid take on Real Mallorca in the semi-final of the last four tournament. Should they progress to the final, 'Los Blancos' would face the winner of the other semi-final, in which Athletic Club will play Barcelona, which is scheduled for Sunday, January 12.
The next midweek slot is dedicated to the Copa del Rey and assuming Ancelotti's men overcome Deportiva Minera, they will be back in the fourth round.
Thoughts then turn to the national league championship (January 19), when they face in-form Las Palmas at the Bernabeu.
In the only other home game of the month, the relentless pace continues as the Champions League returns with RB Salzburg as visitors to the Spanish capital, with Madrid needing a win to maintain their outside hopes of a top-flight finish eight.
Ancelotti's men then travel to Valladolid (25 or 26 January) before wrapping up their participation in this first phase of the new Champions League format as they take on Brest in Guingamp on Wednesday 29 January (3pm ET) to go. was one of the surprise packages of the new 'Swiss Model' format as both sides conclude their eighth and final match of the UCL competition format.
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