Why Real Madrid are training at the Bernabéu before Valladolid meeting | OneFootball

An explanation for the unusual training setup put in place by the coaching staff at La Liga giants Real Madrid this weekend has been forthcoming online.

The info comes courtesy of Marca, and points towards as much as having come in an effort to familiarise the club’s players with some of the new features at the Santiago Bernabéu as early as possible.

Carlo Ancelotti’s troops will take to the pitch in their home ground for the first time this season on Sunday evening.

As much will come by way of a La Liga meeting with Real Valladolid.

In the buildup to the fixture, the somewhat unusual step was taken by boss Ancelotti to hold his pre-match press conference a day early.

An insight into precisely why, though, has since been forthcoming.

Real’s squad were put through a specialised training schedule over the course of Saturday.

This did not come at their usual Valdebebas training base, but instead inside a closed off Santiago Bernabéu.

Why? As per a report from Marca:

‘The purpose of this training session at the Bernabéu was to test and get used to the new stadium and, most importantly, the new grass.’

It now remains to be seen whether or not as much pays off on Sunday…

Conor Laird | GSFN