Arbeloa considering resting key Real Madrid players against Elche | OneFootball

After an impressive win over Manchester City, Real Madrid will return to La Liga as they take on Elche on Saturday.

With the team currently trailing league leaders Barcelona by four points, securing a win could be imperative if they are to remain in the title race.

However, it appears Alvaro Arbeloa has other plans and could fancy making some changes heading into the game against Elche.

Arbeloa to rest key players vs Elche

According to MARCA, Arbeloa could ring in the changes as Real Madrid take on Elche, with the coach having one eye on the second leg fixture against Man City.

But perhaps more importantly, it seems the Real Madrid manager does not want to risk overburdening his key players, especially at a time when the team has been hit with injuries to key players, including Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo.

Arbeloa wants a fit Real Madrid in the second leg against Man City. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Mbappe has been ruled out of the game against Elche. But Arbeloa wouldn’t have played him anyway. In fact, he is considering most of the first-team stars in order to keep themselves fit for the return leg.

It appears Real Madrid do not want to take any risk, knowing Man City have more than enough firepower to stage a grand comeback.

Barcelona have recently shown that no lead can ever be truly enough, notably scoring three goals against Atletico Madrid, coming short by just a goal in the Copa Del Rey semifinal.

Keeping that in mind, Real Madrid are expected to rest some key players this weekend. Some of the players are in contention for a breather include Antonio Rudiger, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde and Thibaut Courtois.

This could pave the way for some of the academy players to step up and prove themselves, as Real Madrid look to secure an easy win against Elche.