Arbeloa leaves Bellingham and Courtois out, names five academy players

According to Goal, Alvaro Arbeloa left Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois out of his first Real Madrid squad for the Copa del Rey round of 16 tie at Albacete and, with Kylian Mbappe already ruled out through injury, has called up five academy players.

Arbeloa took charge after Xabi Alonso was sacked and has been forced to contend with a mounting injury list that includes Mbappe, Rodrygo, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ferland Mendy. He also kept Aurelien Tchouameni and Alvaro Carreras in Madrid, signalling a willingness to trust La Fabrica to plug gaps caused by the absences.

Joan Martinez, David Jimenez, Manuel Angel, Cesar Palacios and Jorge Cestero were added to the squad, joining academy keepers Fran Gonzalez and Sergio Mestre, while Andriy Lunin is confirmed to start in goal. Arbeloa is reportedly hopeful of recovering Mbappe, Rudiger and Rodrygo progressively over the next few weeks; for now the trip to Albacete is presented as the first hurdle and a chance for the youngsters to impress in a must-win cup tie.

Key Topics

Sports, Alvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois, Kylian Mbappe