Real Madrid will face Sevilla on Matchday 18 in LaLiga with a keen eye on tonight’s fixture between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in what is shaping up to be a heated three-team title race in the Spanish top flight.
Left back Ferland Mendy has been out the last few weeks with a right quadriceps injury he suffered against Girona in what ended up being a 3-0 win. Fran Garcia has started in his stead to mixed results, but Mendy has returned to training over the past couple of days.
Now, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti confirms that Mendy is healthy and ready to be in the squad, and Mendy was indeed named to the official 18-man squad for Sunday’s match at the Santiago Bernabeu vs. Sevilla.
Mendy probably won’t feature at all, because even though Fran struggled last weekend in a 3-3 draw with Rayo Vallecano, there’s really no noticeable different in quality between the two despite their very different profiles.
Funny enough, you may recall that Mendy’s first big breakout performance as a Real Madrid left back came in 2019 against Sevilla in a hard-fought, 1-0 win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in which Mendy shut down then-Sevilla star right winger Lucas Ocampos.
In 2024, Sevilla’s best attacking threat is still a right winger in Dodi Lukebakio, but i[t will instead be up to Garcia to stop the Belgian](https://thetrivelaeffect.com/3-matchups-that-will-decide-real-madrid-vs-sevilla-on-matchday-18/) and his seven goals from spoiling Madrid’s last game of the year.
When the new year begins, the left back controversy will remain an ongoing story at the Bernabeu, and, then, Mendy will have ample time to try and win his job back with transfer rumors continuing to swirl regarding his future beyond the 2024/25 season; Real Madrid have been linked to both Alphonso Davies and former academy product Theo Hernandez as possible new left backs.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.