Predicted Real Madrid Lineup To Face Espanyol In La Liga
Real Madrid face another hurdle as they travel to the RCDE stadium in Catalonia to play the resilient Espanyol, who are scraping through the hands of relegation with the help of important draws, the biggest one of them being against Barcelona at the start of the month. The Galacticos have won all out of their previous four and are unbeaten in seven.
All of a sudden, they are giving it a real rattle and breathing down Atletico’s necks. Their arch rivals, however, are seven points ahead of them, which simply implies this is a must win for Ronaldo and co. They are expected to win this, especially after knowing that Espanyol have failed to score in 14 of their last 20 outings against Real Madrid, having lost 17 of them.
Team News
Toni Kroos is ruled out with a knee injury. His fellow midfielder Luka Modric is sidelined due to a knock whereas Marcelo will be out of action for the same reason.
Sergio Ramos will complete his one-match ban, which he picked up due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Marco Asensio should return to the Matchday squad after having missed the previous game.
Probable Real Madrid XI
Zidane should play with the same structure that has led to the dominant unbeaten run. A couple of changes would do for this game before he fields a chopped one for the next domestic game, as the game after that would be against Paris St. Germain. As usual, one could expect Los Blancos to run the races, press high and attack continuously. Surely, they are the favourites for this one.
Manager: Zinedine Zidane
Formation: 4-4-2
GK: Keylor Navas
Navas will continue in goal. His decision making, positioning and shot stopping display has been worth the watch in recent fixtures.
RB: Daniel Carvajal
Carvajal will continue to play at right-back. His attacking edge, cleverness on the ball and sinewy defending will be showcased.
CB: Raphael Varane
Nacho might be given a breather ahead of two important games, which clearly means Varane will have a second go in the starting XI.
CB: Sergio Ramos
The solidity and dynamism of Sergio Ramos will be seen here. He should come straight back into the starting lineup.
LB: Theo Hernandez
Has been outstanding in Marcelo’s absence and has lived up to his full potential. Hernandez will play on the left-hand side of the back four.
RM: Gareth Bale
Bale showed why he felt locked out at the striker’s position by producing a stunning display on the wings in his previous outing. He will play at right-wing.
CM: Mateo Kovacic
Kovacic’s calm and composed passing will be seen in central midfield. He too has lived up to his expectations in Modric’s absence.
CM: Casemiro
Casemiro will add glue and grip to the midfield. He will protect the back four and let the proceedings happen with greater energy.
LM: Marco Asensio
Asensio should return to the left-wing spot. His technique and skill have been praiseworthy.
ST: Cristiano Ronaldo
The goal machine, Ronaldo will lead the line. His movement in the box, quick feet and desire are his biggest assets. Most prominently, this is one of his most favourite pitches as he has scored 8 and provided 2 in his last two league visits.
ST: Karim Benzema
Benzema will spearhead the attack alongside Ronaldo. If he searches for his partner’s runs and feeds him and vice versa, they could run riot at RCDE Stadium.