Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti is expected to shuffle his pack for Saturday's La Liga clash with Villarreal at Bernabeu.

Los Blancos only have one confirmed injury in their squad, with Ferland Mendy expected to be out until the end of April with a calf issue.

However, Ancelotti is set to make changes to the side that started against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg on Wednesday, as Real Madrid will head to Chelsea for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final next week.

Karim Benzema has scored back-to-back hat-tricks, including against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, as Los Blancos won 4-0 to advance to the final.

However, it would not be a surprise to see the Frenchman start on the bench here, with one eye on the trip to Chelsea in the Champions League.

Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are also set to be rested ahead of the European tie, with Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Ceballos expected to come into the XI.

Lucas Vazquez, Antonio Rudiger and Nacho could also come into the back four, while Marco Asensio might earn a spot in the final third of the field.

Ancelotti will certainly a pick a side that he believes is strong enough to win, but Real Madrid are 11 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, so the Champions League is currently the priority.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup: Courtois; Vazquez, Rudiger, Alaba, Nacho; Ceballos, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius

Written by
Matt Law