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If los blancos advance, they will play against Osasuna. But first things first, as Real Madrid need to beat Olímpic Xàtiva this Wednesday (21:30 CET) to qualify to the next round.
It was really hard to create dangerous chances against this Xàtiva team on their AstroTurf, but it should be entirely different in the much-bigger Santiago Bernabéu. Real Madrid will have to do it without Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale, who will miss the match with small injuries. Both should be ready for the match against Valencia though, as Ancelotti confirmed.
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The Italian coach also said that Jesé, Morata and Di María will play upfront, and it will be interesting to see what kind of effort Di María brings to the field. It's usually easy to tell whether he's frustrated or not. When focused, he's a great playmaker who can cause havoc to any defense. If not, he's not better than the average Castilla player. Di María needs to realize that he wanted to stay in this club even with Bale's arrival. If he puts up a good show, he will have a bigger chance of making the starting lineup both for Argentina and Real Madrid.
Casemiro, Illarramendi and Isco will be in the midfield, just like in Xàtiva. It will now be easier to judge their games. Carvajal, Nacho, Pepe and Arbeloa will protect Iker Casillas' goal, so the team should not have a problem in defense either.
It might be a good decision by Ancelotti to start the same team that couldn't win in Xàtiva. Therefore, he shows that he still trusts those players, and that should give them confidence for the rest of the season. Casemiro, Illarramendi, Jesé and Morata have a big chance to impress. They should not miss it.
One way or another, Real Madrid should win with a comfortable margin this match and promote to the Round of 16. If Jesé, Morata, Isco and so on prove themselves, this match should be easy and quiet.
