Real Madrid have Federico Valverde fit and available for Saturday’s key La Liga contest with Osasuna in the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde is fit for Saturday’s La Liga contest against Osasuna.
Valverde was replaced at the interval of Real Madrid’s 3-1 loss to AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, which immediately made him a major doubt for the clash with Osasuna.
However, the midfielder has been named in the squad for Saturday’s game, with head coach Carlo Ancelotti claiming that there was a miscommunication over a previous back problem, with Valverde never in danger of being unavailable this weekend.
“He is ready to play tomorrow. He has trained well these past two days. I have not said that he has a back problem, we have never said that at the club; he had one, but he has recovered now. He is fine now,” said Ancelotti.
Valverde’s availability is a huge boost for Real Madrid, as Aurelien Tchouameni is facing a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury he suffered in the home defeat to Milan earlier this week.
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Valverde in Real Madrid’s squad for Osasuna clash
Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba are again unavailable for selection due to injury problems, but aside from Tchouameni, no fresh issues have been reported by the Spanish giants.
Real Madrid are under major pressure heading into the clash with Osasuna, having lost their last two matches to Barcelona and Milan, while they are currently second in the La Liga table, nine points off leaders Barcelona.
There has also been speculation surrounding Ancelotti’s future this week, but the Italian is only focusing on the vital clash with Osasuna, who are up in fifth position in Spain’s top flight.
“We have to act tomorrow by bringing out a different version of the last matches. I see the team united, and motivated. What we have detected is the right solution,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“We are all living through the difficult moment. We are still a very close family. With clear ideas, helping. I have a lot of confidence in the players. These are moments that always happen in football. This is not the most appropriate place to talk about the problems we have had. In the last few games we have lost and we must do it differently. We think we have detected it.”
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Ancelotti: ‘Real Madrid will fight for all titles this season’
Ancelotti also insisted that his side will be in the mix for all of the major titles this season, with the Italian confident that the 2024-25 campaign will be successful for the capital giants.
“I see a successful season, fighting for all the titles in all the competitions. It’s going to be like that,” he added.
“In a month we’ll have the chance to win the Intercontinental Cup and we’ll be fighting in the league and the Champions League, despite losing the games we’ve lost. As it always has happened.”
Real Madrid’s first game after the November international break will be against Leganes on November 24, before heading to Anfield to tackle Premier League giants Liverpool in the Champions League three days later.
Real Madrid squad vs. Osasuna:
Lunin, Gonzalez, Mestre; Militao, Vazquez, Vallejo, F Garcia, Rudiger, Mendy, Asencio; Bellingham, Camavinga, Valverde, Modric, Guler, Ceballos; Vinicius, Mbappe, Rodrygo, Endrick, Brahim
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