After achieving victory against Valencia last Friday, Real Madrid looks to continue on that path. This time the opponent will be Deportiva Minera, although the Whites can’t be complacent. We already know that surprises in the King's Cup are very common in these rounds.
That’s why Ancelotti surprised with a team list that had hardly any first-team players left out. Only Courtois and Rüdiger stayed in Madrid to rest. The absence of the German opened a big question mark in the central defense for the game against Deportiva Minera.
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It did seem clear that Raul Asencio was going to have a chance to show he can play much more. But his partner was one of the big doubts since Rüdiger wasn’t there. Nor was Vallejo who had to stay home due to some physical issues.
This meant Ancelotti had to surprise with his pair of central defenders for the cup game in Cartagena. Everything points to Asencio’s partner possibly being Diego Aguado, 17 years old. He’s one of the academy players brought along and could make his debut with the first team.
Diego Aguado could be the big surprise in the line-up against Deportiva Minera in the Cup
Ancelotti might not make many rotations to avoid a big scare in Cartagena against Deportiva Minera. However, he will have to rest some players to avoid risking their physical condition. That’s why Rüdiger stayed in Madrid, being the main absence.
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Without the German, and with Alaba, Vallejo, and Militão injured, the only first-team central defender is Raúl Asencio. But to build the defensive wall in the cup match, he considered several alternatives. The most coherent is to debut a youth player like Diego Aguado, who is a pure central defender.
Otherwise, Carletto will surprise with an unexpected decision, by repositioning another player in that spot. Tchouaméni has already done it and would be the other option many might expect. However, it’s also not ruled out that it could be Mendy, another alternative they’ve considered as an emergency solution.
