Real Madrid's squad list for Friday's La Liga clash against Real Sociedad has been changed at the ... [+]
Real Madrid's squad list for Friday's La Liga clash against Real Sociedad has been changed at the last minute as part of a surprise development.
Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo missed training on Thursday morning, but their head coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed in a pre-match press conference that both men would travel to Anoeta while Ferland Mendy stayed behind in the Spanish capital with one eye on next week's Champions League semifinal first leg clash at Bayern Munich.
The publishing of the squad list shortly after Ancelotti finished addressing the media revealed that the Italian's statements on the matter might not have been accurate, however, as Bellingham's name was missing from the document routinely uploaded to the club's official social media accounts.
Rodrygo's was there for all to see, leading to theories that Bellingham might still be suffering from gastroenteritis. Yet in a surprise development on Friday morning, roughly 10 hours ahead of kick off, the squad list was altered.
This time round, Bellingham is now included while Rodrygo - battling flu according to MARCA - has been cut.
Though the Brazilian will not be seen in action again until Tuesday when Madrid heads to Bavaria to take on Bayern at the Allianz Arena, the Englishman who is Ancelotti's top scorer this term has a seat reserved on the plane to San Sebastian.
As Madrid is currently 11 points clear at the top of the table with six games to spare, a win against La Real can help Los Blancos close in on the La Liga title and relieve bitter rivals FC Barcelona of another domestic crown after doing likewise with the Spanish Super Cup in January.
"We are seven points away from mathematically having the league," Ancelotti said on Thursday, while predicting a "tough game" in the Basque region amid wanting his men to "fight and fight" until it is no longer mathematically possible for the likes of Barca to snatch first place.
Considering that Bellingham is coming off an illness, it is unknown whether he will start tonight or if his previously expected replacement Brahim Diaz still gets the nod in his place.
