real Madrid They return to La Liga action at home against Real Valladolid on August 25.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side began the defence of their title with a comfortable 1-1 draw at Mallorca last weekend as Kylian Mbappe finally made his league debut for the club.
Ancelotti opted to keep the same starting XI from their 2-0 UEFA Super Cup final win over Atalanta, with Mbappé alongside Rodrygo Goes, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.
All four are expected to keep their starting places for the first game at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium this season, but Ancelotti is finding it difficult to get the balance right.
Concerns over how Mbappe will fit into their plans as a starter continue with Rodrygo reportedly frustrated at being undervalued compared to the other three stars.
As well as managing tactics and egos, Ancelotti also faces a potential sticking point over who will take charge of penalty kicks, after rotating takers last season.
Club captain Luka Modric is no longer automatically chosen as a starter, and the Croatian missed his only penalty last season, while Rodrygo also missed his only penalty.
Bellingham scored his only penalty in a La Liga game and Vinicius Jr scored three from three in all competitions.
Had Mbappe not joined this summer, Vinicius would be the undisputed first choice, but his career penalty total is 42 out of 51 taken, with a success rate of 82.35%.
Mbappe is more experienced, but Vinicius has a 100% club record from the penalty spot, including goals against Barcelona and Bayern Munich last season, and could be another headache for Ancelotti.
