Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti insists there is no debate within the club over the number one goalkeeper.
Andriy Lunin and Kepa Arrizabalaga have been in and out of the side over recent weeks, with both coming under fire for high-profile mistakes, as Ancelotti continued rotating his keepers in the long-term absence of Thibaut Courtois.
Lunin made an error which contributed to Real’s Copa dey Rey exit at the hands of rivals Atletico Madrid in midweek, with Ancelotti confirming immediately after that Kepa would return for Sunday’s LaLiga clash at home to Almeria.
“There are no immaculate goalkeepers. There are mistakes and both Kepa and Lunin have made them,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“There is no internal debate. The debate is outside, but not inside. There is no debate here. I choose the goalkeeper and he is done.”
A number of Real players were criticised after the defeat by Atletico which came just four days after they won the Spanish Super Cup with a 4-1 victory over Barcelona in Riyadh.
Aurelien Tchouameni was picked out for his role in Antoine Griezmann’s goal which put Atletico 3-2 up in extra time.
Ancelotti admitted the France midfielder could have done better but is confident his squad remain in good shape.
“He (Tchouameni) played the Super Cup final at his best level, perhaps his best game. The cup match he did not play from the beginning because he was tired,” Ancelotti added.
“He came on, he tried to give what could to help. He could have done better on Griezmann’s goal, yes, in this sense there are no doubts.
“I listen and try to see what is happening in the dressing room environment. We continue in a good dynamic and we are motivated. The team is competing and playing football very well.”
Real have lost just once in LaLiga this season but sit second, a point behind surprise frontrunners Girona, albeit with a game in hand.
Ancelotti’s men welcome an Almeria side who are cut adrift at the foot of the table with just six points having failed to win any of their 20 matches so far.
The 64-year-old is keen to see Los Blancos take advantage of a run of league matches before the Champions League returns in February.
“It is an important moment of the season because we have five league games before the Champions League and we want to do well in these games,” Ancelotti said.
“We are focused on tomorrow’s game and we play against a team in which the data says that it has six points.
“It is a team to respect and with quality. They are still alive and tomorrow they’re going to fight to win the game. We have to be prepared.”
Cole Palmer 'one of the best in the world' - Reece James
Cole Palmer has been hailed as "one of the best in the world" by team-mate Reece James after playing his part in Chelsea's thrilling 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest.
England international Palmer superbly assisted Mykhailo Mudryk's early opener in Saturday's Premier League contest, before Willy Boly's swift leveller and Callum Hudson-Odoi's second-half curler put Forest in front.
Chelsea pulled off a remarkable late turnaround, however, as Raheem Sterling levelled up on 80 minutes and fellow substitute James assisted Nicolas Jackson's winner two minutes later at City Ground.
Palmer's assist means he has directly contributed to 31 goals in the Premier League this season, which is the joint-most in the division alongside Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the late win at Forest, captain James said: "Cole Palmer is one of the best in the world, I think personally.
"At [Manchester] City he didn't play as much as he would like but he has come here and taken the chance with both hands."
Palmer is just the fourth player in Premier League history to score 20 or more goals and provide 10 or more assists in his debut campaign for a club.
The others on that prestige list are Andrew Cole with Newcastle United in 1993-94, Jurgen Klinsmann with Tottenham in 1994-95 and Mohamed Salah with Liverpool in 2017-18.
The 22-year-old, stood alongside James, said of his colleague's comments: "I wouldn't go that far! But it's nice to hear.
"It's all new to me. This is my first season playing properly in the league. It was a very important win and now we focus on the next one."
Chelsea have now won three Premier League games in a row and are level on points with sixth-place Newcastle United.
Since Boxing Day, only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have picked up more points than Chelsea's 35 in the Premier League, while only leaders City have suffered fewer defeats.
James, who was making his return from a five-month absence, added: "We learn every day.
"We're still young but we are improving and we're coming strong at the end of the season. Slowly but surely we are finding our feet and reaching a level."
Granada 0-4 Real Madrid: Diaz stars in crushing victory for LaLiga champions
Newly-crowned LaLiga champions Real Madrid earned an emphatic 4-0 win over relegated Granada on Saturday, breaking a single-season club record after making it 29 LaLiga games unbeaten.
Carlo Ancelotti's side continued their superb form following their Champions League semi-final win over Bayern Munich, reaching 90 points in the league and moving 15 clear of second-placed Girona.
Fran Garcia broke the deadlock with an easy finish after a long series of passes in the 38th minute before he set up Arda Guler to slot home and extend the advantage just before half-time.
Brahim Diaz made it 3-0 in the 49th minute with a shot into the near post, and the former Manchester City attacker scored his second nine minutes later off a Luka Modric pass from the right.
A much-changed Madrid were in control throughout as Los Blancos moved to 29 league matches undefeated, surpassing their best unbeaten run in a single campaign under John Toshack in 1989-90.
Granada, meanwhile, were already relegated after Mallorca's 1-0 win at Las Palmas as their LaLiga stay came to an abrupt end on Saturday.
Nottingham Forest 2-3 Chelsea: Reds made to wait for safety after late collapse
Nottingham Forest must wait to make mathematically certain of their Premier League status after conceding two late goals in a dramatic 3-2 home loss to Chelsea.
Forest began Saturday's thrilling game knowing a point from their final two matches would be enough to secure safety after Luton Town's 3-1 loss at West Ham and Burnley's 2-1 defeat to Tottenham.
After Willy Boly cancelled out Mykhailo Mudryk's strike inside the opening 16 minutes, Callum Hudson-Odoi thought he had won the game with a delightful 74th-minute curler against his former side.
However, Chelsea silenced the City Ground through quickfire goals from Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson in the final 10 minutes.
Chelsea's third win in a row keeps them seventh and level on points with Newcastle United in sixth, while Forest are three points better off than Luton with a game to go, but they are 12 goals better off in terms of goal difference.
Mudryk controlled Cole Palmer's defence-splitting pass and finished across Matz Sels to give Chelsea the lead, but Boly levelled for Forest with a free header from Morgan Gibbs-White's free-kick delivery – the ball taking a touch off Conor Gallagher on its way in.
Jackson had a chance to restore Chelsea's lead before the interval, but his effort was kept out by Sels when played through by Palmer.
Forest also created plenty of opportunities at 1-1 as Ryan Yates clipped the outside of the post and Gibbs-White did likewise from a close-range header, with the rebound dropping to Wood.
The Forest striker somehow blazed over in one of the misses of the season, which almost proved costly as Thiago Silva clipped the post at the other end soon after.
Hudson-Odoi was next to hit the frame of the goal, but it did not appear to matter when he cut inside Malo Gusto and curled the ball away from Petrovic.
Then came a late twist, though, as substitute Sterling scored a similar curler at the opposite end in the 80th minute, before fellow replacement Reece James – returning from a lengthy lay-off – crossed for Jackson to head home a dramatic winner.
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