New Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has shown early on he is not afraid to take risks, leaving a number of his best players at home for his debut with the senior side as a manager. Los Blancos are traveling to the South of Spain to face the country’s oldest club in Albacete at the Carlos Belmonte.
On offer is a place in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. Albacete are one of two Segunda sides remaining in the competition after the exits of Cultural Leonesa and Deportivo La Coruna on Tuesday night – Barcelona take on Racing Santander in Cantabria on Thursday.
Arbeloa has left out star names Aurelien Tchouameni, Alvaro Carreras, Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois and Kylian Mbappe. He is already without Rodrygo Goes, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ferland Mendy through injury, although Marca assure that those left out are being rested. It means that youngsters Joan Martinez, David Jimenez, Manuel Angel, Jorge Cestero and Cesar Palacios are included, all of who have been working with Arbeloa in the Castilla side.
Alvaro Arbeloa unafraid to take risks
The image that has been painted of Arbeloa as a coach has been one with a strong personality and a willingness to take risks – he declared in his opening press conference that he was not afraid of failure. While Real Madrid should have sufficient quality to see off Albacete still, Los Blancos have been struggling for form, and only narrowly squeezed past Talavera de la Reina on the previous round.
Levante to visit the Bernabeu
Their presence in the Supercup suggests that several of the players left out would be fit enough for at least the bench against Albacete. Arbeloa will make his home debut against Levante on Saturday afternoon at 14:00 CEST at the Bernabeu. Clearly he is already considering how he might impress the home fans.