Real Madrid will kick off its Copa Del Rey campaign tonight in North Africa as they face Segunda Division side, UD Melilla. Here’s a look at the squad that made the trip and who we should expect to see in the starting XI.
Usually, this would be a match Madridistas overlook. The round of 32 more times than not pits the La Liga sides against Segunda Division sides who made it through the preliminary rounds.
Tonight, every diehard Real Madrid fans will be tuned in as their team faces a club that many may have not heard of. The opponent here is irrelevant. All focus is on how well Santiago Solari can manage the first-team in his first match on the job and how the players respond to Sunday’s crushing defeat to Barcelona.
Let’s take a look at the players who made the trip:
📋 Here's the 19-man squad Solari has called up for our Copa del Rey opener against Melilla tonight! #RMCopa pic.twitter.com/eg42K4jcOC
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 31, 2018
There are some regular starters, who are healthy, that have been omitted. Isco, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modric, and Gareth Bale all remained in the capital as their team made the rather lengthy flight south for the first leg.
Solari is smart to sit these five players for this match as they have all featured heavily thus far this season and could use the rest ahead of the match against Real Valladolid on Saturday.
Goalkeeper
Since the end of August, the Real Madrid starting goalkeeper has flipped back and forth between Thibaut Courtois and Keylor Navas. Both have done admirably with what they have been given.
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The two don’t boast the best stats or record as of right now, but the two could use a rest despite making the trip. Kiko Casilla is a Copa veteran and has been the starting keeper for Real for a few years now in the competition.
Casilla should get the start tonight in order to rest the top two keepers.
Defenders
Predicting this position is not only difficult, but frightening to think about right now. With the number of injured players really starting to add up, Solari will have to look to the Real Madrid Castilla side to fill the void.
Sergio Ramos and Nacho were both forced to make the trip with Raphael Varane, Jesús Vallejo, and Marcelo all out long-term. Dani Carvajal was omitted from the squad as well, but this isn’t because of an injury.
Don’t expect to see captain Ramos start on the back line tonight. He will be used in case of emergency.
The starters, from right to left, should be Álvaro Odriozola, Nacho, Javi Sanchez, and Sergio Reguilon.
Midfielders
This should be the most interesting area on the field to watch for Real Madrid in this match. A new boss and all the big guns left out will provide an opportunity for some of the younger fringe players.
Marcos Llorente should make his second appearance of the season tonight and pair with Federico Valverde and Dani Ceballos. It has been the Casemiro show at the central defensive midfield position and Llorente has been patiently waiting his chance to get some more playing time.
Valverde will be looking to build on his recent appearance in the Champions League and impress the interim manager. Ceballos, on the other hand, will again have to prove himself to the manager after the departure of Julen Lopetegui.
The two had a great relationship and were very close for several years. Can he win over Solari?
Forwards
Let me go ahead and clarify that I am assuming Solari will roll out a 4-3-3, however, that could very well change throughout the course of the match or even before.
Assuming that there are three forwards, I expect to see Lucas Vazquez despite his struggles in the second half against Barca, either Karim Benzema or Marco Asensio, and Vinícius Júnior.
Vinícius has been very impressive for the B team and has made some good cameos with the first team but has yet to record a goal or an assist. This is a lower league team, so he could get off the mark tonight if he can play like he has been.
The match kicks off at 7:30pm CET, 1:30pm EST and can be streamed in the United States on ESPN+.