:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/20121245/181570084.0.jpg)
Real Madrid will try to get the sixth win of the season. Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that Isco will not get a rest before Saturday's derby against Atlético. The Italian coach wanted to start Gareth Bale against Getafe, but Bale couldn't get involved because of a small injury on his left thigh that should not sideline him against Atlético. Therefore, Isco ended up playing 84 minutes.
Key midfielder Luka Modric should be more than ready for this match against Elche after playing just 13 minutes last Sunday. The Croatian midfielder has been an essential player in Ancelotti's plans, but he seemed a little bit tired after the matches against Galatasaray and Villarreal.
Illarramendi's performance against Getafe was brilliant, so he could repeat in the starting XI. Furthermore, it would seem logic to have him on the bench against Atlético Madrid and bring Khedira back to the XI for that much-more difficult game. Illarra might not be ready enough to play those rivalry matches, and Khedira would help the team with his experience. That's why it would make sense to play with Illarramendi, Isco and Modric in the midfield.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema and Di María should be Ancelotti's starters against Elche, but the Italian coach might consider including Jesé or Morata to give Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo some rest. Karim Benzema would probably need to gain some confidence back after his mediocre performance against Getafe, but it would be good to give Jesé or Morata minutes as well. They should be capable of playing a good match against a recently promoted team, because they played against Elche last season already when they were with Castilla.
Ancelotti has recovered Fàbio Coentrao and Raphäel Varane, and he should be really happy about that. This would be a good match to let them play 90 minutes again. Varane has recently recovered from a knee injury, but he should not be in trouble against Del Moral and the rest of Elche's offensive line, so the French defender could use this game to get back in shape quickly. If the same happens with Coentrao, Arbeloa could get some rest as well.
If Ancelotti thinks this is an appropriate game to rotate the squad, he's right. But his players should start the game with intensity in order to avoid problems. Betis, Villarreal and Getafe have already scored first against Ancelotti's squad, and the Italian coach should fix that. Galatasaray caused Real Madrid some trouble as well, and even though los blancos managed to win the game 1-6, their first 30 minutes were really poor.
If Real Madrid start this match with the right foot, the three points should be easy to get.