Madrid going all guns blazing for Youth League glory with Cestero, Arnu and Co
Real Madrid set to unleash their Castilla and C team stars against Marseille in Youth League knockout clash at the Alfredo Di Stéfano
Real Madrid are pulling out all the stops in their quest for a second Youth League title, with the club set to deploy their top academy talents for Tuesday’s knockout clash with Marseille.
The cavalry arrives
The Juvenil A side will face French outfit Olympique de Marseille at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium with a seriously beefed-up squad. Club bosses have given the green light for manager Álvaro López to call upon the heavy artillery from both Castilla and Real Madrid C teams.
The headline inclusion is Raúl Cestero, who hasn’t featured in the Youth League this season and has instead been knocking on the door of the first team with several callups to Carlo Ancelotti’s squad. He’s not the only big name dropping down, as the club looks to assemble something of a dream team:
- New signings will get their European debuts, including forward Arnu and winger Alexis Ciria
- Thiago Pitarch leads the contingent from the talented ‘Generation 2007’ dropping down from Castilla
- Other reinforcements include Joan Martínez, Fortea, Mario Rivas, Yáñez and Aguado
- The squad features four players who have already made official first-team debuts
- Jacobo Ortega from Madrid C completes the 2006-born trio alongside Cestero and Valde
Unfortunately, Bailón, Javi Navarro and Lacosta will miss out through injury.
Change of strategy
During the group stage, the club took a more measured approach, carefully managing which players would drop down from the higher teams based on everyone’s needs. That strategy paid off as the young Madridistas qualified in the top six with an impressive five wins and just one defeat.
But now the competition enters its business end, the orders from above are crystal clear – throw everything at winning a second European youth title. It’s a proper no-brainer decision given how Marseille pushed Madrid to the limit in their group stage encounter, taking a 2-1 lead at the Di Stéfano before Los Blancos mounted a late comeback in the final ten minutes.
With knockout football on the menu and a Final Four spot the ultimate target, Madrid aren’t leaving anything to chance. This is their strongest possible hand – time to see if it’s enough to trump the competition.