Defence
GK Thibaut Courtois
Even though Alphonse Areola had a great performance against Osasuna, I can’t see him starting ahead of Thibaut Courtois. As good as he was, Courtois is the more seasoned player this campaign and has seen more game time. It only makes sense for Zidane to go with someone with proven results rather than taking a gamble on Areola.
RB Dani Carvajal
After getting the rest midweek Carvajal is the logical man to start in the right-back position. He is still getting back into the groove of things and he’ll need to be more disciplined than usual.
CB Sergio Ramos
The staple of Real Madrid and the reason they’ve seen such success this season. His presence is incredibly important not only defensively, but also for the leadership he provides on the pitch. Keeping a tight back line and controlling the midfield will be critical against an Atletico that can attack so quickly.
CB Raphael Varane
While Eder Militao filled in for the Frenchman, it’s now time for him to step up and have a behemoth of a match. Keeping a high line with Ramos to push Atleti’s forwards offside will help ease the pressure on Courtois. Dominance in the air is another must on set pieces.
LB Marcelo
Back from injury, it’s going to be interesting to see Marcelo starting in the left-back position. I would have preferred to see Ferland Mendy whose been in better form recently, but he unfortunately picked up an injury of his own. I can only pray that he’ll have some discipline defensively and not leave it up to Casemiro and Ramos to cover the spaces he leaves open.