Marcelo and Mendy, ready to return to Shakhtar

Good news for Carlo Ancelotti in the first training session of the week after three days of rest, and where physical work prevailed alternating with ball work: Marcelo and Mendy worked out at the same pace as their teammates, so it would not be surprising if one of them is a starter in two weeks in Kiev against Shakhtar (Tuesday 19, 9:00 p.m.). The former rejoins the group after noticing muscle discomfort in the last training session before taking on Valencia on September 18. Since then he has been exercising individually and with specific work in Valdebebas.

Mendy's presence is seen as key in Ancelotti's eleven, since now he can have the Frenchman to either be a left-handed winger, or to be able to be central and have Alaba in the lane to enhance the white attacks by the left-handed winger. It was Ancelotti himself in the press conference after Espanyol's defeat who explained why he had altered the rear, placing Nacho as a left-handed central and Alaba as a winger: “I thought he could help in the offensive position, I think he has. and has pushed a lot. Sometimes we have not had a good balance on that side, but it was not his problem. If Alaba is going to push, the medium has to go to cover the position and sometimes we were not well positioned ”. Now, with Mendy and Marcelo available, Ancelotti can further strengthen the Madrid defense.

The other injured (Asensio, Bale, Carvajal, Ceballos, Isco and Mariano) continue with their recovery processes. Next week they will rejoin the group. It is expected that Asensio, who went out to run on the Valdebebas grass, Carvajal and Isco can already be with the rest of the players not called up by their national teams, such as Casemiro, absent from the call of the Brazilian team due to some pain in the wisdom tooth that caused inflammation and fever. The trips to Ukraine and the Camp Nou to face Barcelona are key in the nearest future for the Whites: the first to reverse the puncture against the Sheriff on September 28 at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, while the second will resolve the potential of the whites against one of their historic rivals in their history.