Real Madrid defender could play first minutes under Arbeloa against Celta Vigo | OneFootball

Real Madrid travel to Balaidos this Friday to try to remain in the fight for the La Liga title, after losing the previous two matches and thereby surrendering top spot again to Barcelona.

Against Celta Vigo, manager Alvaro Arbeloa must cope with several notable absences, especially in defence: Eder Militao, Alvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, and David Alaba are all unavailable.

Given the situation, the Real Madrid manager will likely have to rely on some of the players he has barely called on since taking over.

Ferland Mendy to get a chance?

One such player happens to be Ferland Mendy, with AS reporting that the French left-back could be in with a chance to play tomorrow against Celta Vigo at Balaidos.

It has been an injury-riddled season for the 30-year-old Real Madrid veteran, who has played only three matches so far, racking up a mere 112 minutes of on-field action.

In fact, Mendy has yet to play a single minute of football under Arbeloa since he replaced Xabi Alonso as manager back in January.

He has been included in five consecutive matchday squads after overcoming his latest muscle problem, but he has not played any minutes so far.

Mendy to play against Celta Vigo? (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

But that could change tomorrow, with Real Madrid set to be without Carreras, who will miss the game due to a suspension for an accumulation of cards.

Arbeloa will have to choose between one of Mendy and Fran Garcia in the absence of his first-choice left-back. In previous situations like these, the manager had opted for Eduardo Camavinga, indicating he does not fully trust both backup options.

However, the French midfielder himself is recovering from a severe toothache and is unlikely to be ready to play from the start. It could open the way for Mendy to feature tomorrow against Celta Vigo.

Mendy’s contract with Real Madrid expires in 2027, and with the Frenchman clearly not being a part of the plans for the future, a summer departure could be on the horizon.

For that to happen, the player will need to get some minutes so as to attract suitors after having barely played in the past year.