Three questions ahead of Real Madrid’s Spanish Super Cup second leg
By Alex McVey
Real Madrid take on Barcelona in the Santiago Bernabéu stadium on Wednesday in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup. Here are three questions that need to be asked as we get ready for another El Clásico showdown.
Who’s the odd man out?
Cristiano Ronaldo is suspended for five matches, including the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup. Zidane has a series of selection choices he has to make about how to replace Ronaldo in the lineup. Ronaldo already wasn’t starting, but with him out of the lineup again, questions remain about how Zidane will go about replacing him.
Chances are, we’ll see Zidane roll with a diamond 4-4-2, with Bale and Benzema as a two-man strike force up top, and Isco playing in front of the Kroos, Modric, Casemiro midfield trident. This is how Madrid played during the first half of the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, but with Kovacic in the place of the suspended Modric.
The problem is, of course, Marco Asensio. Asensio is on an impressive run of form, from his hat-trick during the U-21 Euros, to his goal in his Spanish Super Cup debut last week, carrying on his streak of scoring in his competitive debuts. If Asensio plays, a major player has to be dropped.
On form, one would probably suggest Gareth Bale as the contender to get left out. Bale has struggled to impress during the preseason. His persistent injury issues have left him lacking confidence, and many fans are ready for Asensio to permanently take his place in the starting lineup.
Will Zidane give in to these calls from a chunk of the fans, or will he trust the Welshman to start finding the form that makes him one of the best in the world? Or, alternatively, will Zidane drop Isco in favor of Asensio to create a more barn-burning 4-3-3 setup? We’ll have to wait until the team sheets are released to find out. My guess, though, is that we’ll continue to see Asensio come on as a super-sub later into the match.