Real Madrid will take on arch rivals Barcelona on Sunday’s El Classico where the number one spot in La Liga will be at stake as Los Blancos are only two points ahead of Barca at this point.
Manager Xabi Alonso would definitely like to field his best 11 against the Blaugranas but injuries could become a major roadblock in Alonso’s path to glory but with a few injury boosts, especially in defence, would give the Real Madrid manager a lot of options ahead of the big game.
El Classico: Real Madrid predicted lineup against Barcelona
Let us take a look at how Los Blancos could line up Tommorow against their fierce rivals:
Defence :-
RB : Although Dani Carvajal has been added to the matchday squad for El Classico, Alonso is expected to field Fede Valverde in the right back position tomorrow as he has already proven his qualities as a full back since last season and also during the last game against Juventus where the whites won the game 1-0.
CB : Eder Militao would be the undisputed choice to start as a left sided centre back against Barca as the Brazilian has been Rock solid during his last few appearances and has already been part of these high stake clashes before where he has been a trustworthy soldier for Madrid.
CB : Despite Raul Asencio’s brilliant performance against Juventus, he might loose his spot in the starting eleven to Dean Huijsen who has been Los Blancos’ go to defender this season with his qualities both with and without the ball.
LB : With Lamine Yamal running at your defence, Real Madrid’s latest signing Alvaro Carreras would definitely be Alonso’s first priority in the left back position to keep the Barcelona number 10 quiet during Sunday’s El Classico.
Midfield :-
CDM: Tchouameni has been pivotal to Alonso’s tactics throughout this season. The Frenchman, who was previously unable to have much impact in the team and was close to an exit, has redeemed himself under the new manager and is now one of the undisputed starters.
CM: With Valverde shifting to the right back spot, Bellingham will most likely be handed the role of controlling things in the middle of the park along with Tchouameni. It’s true that the English youngster returned from injury not too long ago and is still not at his absolute best. But he showed glimpses of his quality against Juventus where he scored the winning goal. It remains to be seen how he performs against Barcelona if given the nod.
CM: Arda Guler is one of the players having a breakthrough season in this campaign. The Turkish youngster has improved on all fronts, be it his passing, dribbling or defensive contributions. He is whipping up assists to Mbappe, reminding fans of Mesut Ozil’s partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo. Could we see a similar impact from the duo against Barcelona as well?
Attack :-
RW: Brahim Diaz’s name might come as a bit of a surprise to a few fans, but the 26-year-old seems to have gained the upper hand over new signing Frank Mastantuono with his performances lately. As a result, he is expected to be given the nod ahead of the Argentine for El Clasico.
ST: Kylian Mbappe has been the undisputed starter for Real Madrid in important matches since he joined. Moreover, his goal-scoring record against Barcelona is well known. The French forward has shown some incredible form this season and is currently the top scorer in La Liga as well as the Champions League. Los Blancos fans will certainly hope that Mbappe finds the back of the net on Sunday as well.
LW: A season ago, Vinicius’ name in the starting line-up wouldn’t have been debatable at all, but the situation has changed significantly as Alonso has rotated the winger with his Brazilian teammate Rodrygo every now and then in this campaign. That said, for this matchup, we think that Vini will be handed the task of operating on the left flank, although Rodrygo might get some minutes in the second half.
With a star studded lineup like this, Los Blancos would be hopeful to put a display in front of their fans and keep the top spot to themselves after the final whistle blows at the Santiago Bernabeu tomorrow but again, a game like the Classico is not won on paper rather the one who can control his nerves throughout the game would emerge victorious.