MADRID, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid visit Valencia for their last game ahead of the international break on Sunday, and Zinedine Zidane's side can expect to meet a side in institutional chaos after Geoffrey Kondogbia joined the exodus of key players to leave the Mestalla Stadium during the week.
The French midfielder joined Atletico Madrid, adding his name to a list of big-name departures that includes Javi Parejo, Francis Coquelin, Ezequiel Garay, Rodrigo Moreno and Ferran Torres, with no arrivals for coach Javi Gracia, who was close to leaving his post in frustration at the lack of signings over the summer.
Despite the adversity, Gracia has shown why the club were so keen to sign him, forging a side which relies on some of the key players who have stayed, such as Carlos Soler, Jose Luis Gaya, Daniel Wass, Goncalo Guedes and Gabriel Paulista, while bringing in young talent, such as Younus Mussa and Lee Kang-In, but he still faces a tough task at the weekend.
The coach has already indicated that his side will look to sit deep and look to the pace of players such as Mussa and Denis Cheryshev to try and beat a Real Madrid side that has enjoyed better results than performances recently.
Zidane's side travel after a fortunate win in the Champions League at home to Inter Milan, in a game which highlighted their recent struggles to control games, but also showed they have the players to win even when they are not playing their best.
Eder Militao is still unavailable due to the coronavirus while Dani Carvajal, Alvaro Odriozola and Nacho Fernandez are injured, meaning Lucas Vazquez will continue to fill in at right back.
Zidane could make some changes in midfield, but it is unlikely he will rest Fede Valverde, whose energy and knack for scoring key goals has made him a key player in this Madrid side.
Elsewhere, Zidane has to decide whether to rest Eden Hazard to avoid further problems with his ankle and to start either Vinicius Jr or Rodrygo, who combined for the winning goal in midweek. Enditem
