Real Madrid Will Be Without Big Player For Crucial La Liga Game Vs Villarreal
It was not a vintage Real Madrid performance, but it was a win against Levante thanks to second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Raul Asencio. It was a crucial three points for Alvaro Arbeloa's side, something that was desperately needed.
They are now one point behind leaders Barcelona, who still have to play on Matchday 20. The next La Liga game is a huge one for Real Madrid, facing third-placed Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica on January 24.
They face Monaco in the Champions League before that game, knowing a win is also highly important for automatic qualification to the Round of 16. Looking past that European game, Real Madrid will be without one of their key players for the match against Villarreal.
Aurélien Tchouaméni suspended vs Villarreal
After receiving a yellow card in the game against Levante, midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni will now miss the tough away game against Villarreal. The game will be played in a hostile atmosphere at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Saturday, January 24. Missing a key piece of the midfield is a blow for Alvaro Arbeloa.
The Frenchman picked up an unnecessary booking in the 31st minute, chopping down Unai Vencedor, which stopped an attack, but the home team likely had enough players back to deal with it.
Tchouaméni plays the holding midfield role for Los Blancos, a vital role in stopping counterattacks and helping the defense. Some would say he played too deep against a Levante team that set up deep. However, Villarreal will offer a much more attacking threat.
The question for Arbeloa is who will come in to play that role. Arda Guler was excellent when he came on for Eduardo Camavinga against Levante. Could Fede Valverde move into midfield and play deep, allowing Guler to play behind the strikers? That could happen, but Dani Carvajal would need to be in good shape to start, or rely on David Jimenez, the youngster.
If the head coach feels that could leave them too open, he may go for a straight replacement that leaves Valverde at right-back. Dani Ceballos can also play that role, but has a bit more of an attacking threat also. Camavinga was not great against Levante, so he could be out of the question.
Ceballos seems like the likely option, but it will be a difficult decision for Arbeloa. After many players did not show their best versions of thermselves against Levante, and if that happens against Monaco, more changes could happen.
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-031bbeb5612ca252e2129722373fa56d.png "Jordan Merritt")
Jordan Merritt is a staff writer for Real Madrid On SI. Before joining On SI, he wrote at Fansided, covering Ole Miss football, basketball, and baseball. He has also written for YardBarker, Heavy Sports, and the official EFL site. Merritt is a big sports fan, spending most of his weekends watching Soccer, the NFL, the NBA, college football/basketball, and others. Before starting his career as a freelance writer, Merritt was an Engineer for over 10 years. He lives in West Yorkshire, England, and is keenly interested in sports trading cards.
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