Immersed in its magical week, after qualifying for the Champions League final at Wembley and one day before receiving the League champion trophy in Valdebebas, Real Madrid visits a Granada team today (6:30 p.m.) that can certify its mathematical relegation to Second Division, and they haven’t been able to beat the whites for 11 years. An ideal scenario for Carlo Ancelotti to give his players a rest, thinking about the final on June 1.
It will be a match that will probably not decide anything, since Granada could start the match already mathematically relegated, depending on the result of Mallorca, which hosts Las Palmas (2:00 p.m.). A Balearic victory would make the Nasrid triumph useless to prolong the stay.
The panorama, then, is ideal for Carlo Ancelotti to rotate his team, thinking about the Champions League final at Wembley.
This was confirmed by the Italian coach in the press conference prior to the Nuevo Los Cármenes match. “We have to do a lot of things before the final; Tomorrow, play a game and respect the opponent. We have several games before the final that will help us prepare well. There will be rotations to reach the final. We need to rest because it has been a very demanding season. I will give a few days of rest after the games,” commented the coach, who did not reveal the mystery of the goal for the Champions League final.
“I have a month to decide,” he said, although he confirmed that Courtois will play in Granada, reappearing against Cádiz last week after a long absence due to injury.
Granada has a really complicated, almost impossible, time to stay in First Division. To begin with, due to the difficulty of achieving victory against the white rival. They have accumulated 15 consecutive defeats – 7 at the Nuevo Los Cármenes and 8 at the Bernabéu – against Real Madrid, one of the rivals that gives the Andalusians the worst.
Granada’s last victory against Real Madrid dates back to the 2012-13 season, when the Andalusians won 1-0 despite not shooting on the opponent’s goal throughout the match thanks to an own goal by the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.