Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that Eden Hazard will be back in Real Madrid’s starting line-up for their LaLiga Santander match against Cadiz on Sunday night.
The Belgian has found himself on the periphery in the last few weeks as the likes of Vinicius Junior, Marco Asensio and Rodrygo Goes have played on the wings, but he will get a chance to shine when Los Blancos host the Andalusian outfit.
“Tomorrow he will be a starter. He will play because he has trained well and deserves to. Not because of the absentees,” Ancelotti said during Saturday’s pre-match press conference.
“He has been working very well. He hasn’t changed mentally.
“His problem is that he hasn’t always been able to train at 100 percent, as he is now.
“He is ready because of what he has shown in training. He wasn’t used to playing on the right and I preferred Rodrygo and Asensio there.
“He has what it takes to have a very good second half of the season and be useful for the team.”
Real Madrid’s COVID situation
Real Madrid have been affected by a series of COVID-19 cases at the club, but the head coach is not overly worried about the situation.
“We have to live with this, both us and society. We never thought of postponing the match,” Ancelotti noted.
“We have to continue to live with this virus, which is now less strong. We have to be careful and cautious.”
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Modric not going to play
Luka Modric was one of the first Real Madrid players to test positive for COVID-19 this week before he tested negative two days later, but he will not be in action against Cadiz on Sunday.
“Modric tested negative, but he is still not training,” the Italian confirmed.
“He is a bit tired and has a fever. He won’t play tomorrow. Then we have to wait and see what the rules are like. It’s not clear.”
Barcelona’s title chances
Xavi Hernandez stated in Barcelona’s pre-match press conference on Friday that his team still retain hope of winning LaLiga Santander, but Ancelotti is not worried about the Blaugrana.
“They are not a direct rival right now, because there are other teams closer to us,” Ancelotti commented.
“But they have the quality to rise up the table and if I were Barcelona coach I would say exactly the same as Xavi.”
