Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will leave a big name out of his starting XI when Kylian Mbappe returns to action against Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference in the Spanish capital on Friday afternoon, Ancelotti noted that the visitors, who were the last team to beat his side at the Bernabeu, had “done very well” so far this season, with today’s game giving Los Blancos “an opportunity for “We want to get back together and play good football again.”

Madrid, of course, saw their 36-game unbeaten run come to a crashing end in the Champions League against Lille during the week, prompting what some described as exaggerated crisis talk.

Ancelotti did not want to label the criticism in such a way, pointing out that everyone has the right to an opinion and also making it publicly clear what he believes is going wrong in his team.

“There are times when you need to reconnect, and soon,” he stressed.

“Sometimes a good run makes you believe you are invincible, but a loss reconnects you with reality. We are not at our level yet, we have players who are not at their best level. (But) we are not far from our goal.” There is a lack of defensive intensity and there is also a lack of ball circulation on offense.

In a four-man midfield, Eduardo Camavinga is the sole pivot behind Luka Modric, Fede Valverde and Jude Bellingham, the most advanced player in the quartet, looking to pass the ball to a surprising attacking duo.

They are Kylian Mbappe, returning early from injury, and Vinicius Jr., without Rodrygo, to complete a 4-4-2.

Back in defense, Andriy Lunin’s goal is protected by Ferland Mendy, Toni Rüdiger, Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Carvajal.

Since the Catalans don’t play until Sunday, the aim here is to get a win before the away game against Alaves and draw level on points with arch-rivals FC Barcelona.

Real Madrid first eleven vs. Alaves: Lunin; Mendy, Rüdiger, Tchouameni, Carvajal; Camavinga, Modric, Valverde, Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe