Real Madrid: Three Castilla players who could start vs. Osasuna

After drawing 0-0 with Real Betis last weekend, Real Madrid are in a difficult situation in La Liga. All eyes will be on Thursday night’s “game in hand” for Barcelona against Granada, because a win for La Blaugrana could be devastating for Los Blancos’ title chances, despite the fact that Real defeated Barça twice head-to-head.

This weekend, Los Blancos must win against Osasuna in order to preserve their title hopes. But after barely drawing Chelsea 1-1 in a grueling Champions League first leg on Tuesday, Real Madrid will need to rest key players for the second leg next Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge.

There will be rotations, no doubt. And that means some young players could get a chance to stand out for Los Merengues.

According to MARCA’s Jose Felix Diaz, we could see another start for Antonio Blanco, who was excellent in the 3-0 win over Cadiz. He also names right winger Sergio Arribas and left back Miguel Gutierrez as players who could get minutes this Saturday night at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano vs. Osasuna.

Could Miguel Gutierrez get a start for Real Madrid vs. Osasuna?

Arribas is the Castilla man with the most appearances this season, having made seven off the bench in La Liga alone. So it would make sense for him to get some time off the bench. Some fans may wonder if he could even start, but Arribas does not seem to be ready for that.

As for left back, Marcelo has been dreadful lately, and Ferland Mendy may not be ready to start after missing the last few games with an injury. Gutierrez is Marcelo’s potential replacement as Mendy’s backup, so he could get a huge opportunity this weekend.

Out of the three, Blanco should be a lock to start. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos must be rested. They only played against Chelsea since it was a Champions League semifinal, otherwise, they were clearly not 100 percent fit. Especially not Modric, who has been in need of a real break for quite some time.