Real Madrid find themselves preparing for another midweek fixture as they take on Club Brugge at the Santiago Bernabeu in the UEFA Champions League.
Since Los Merengues have lost their opening game of the competition, beating Club Brugge has become even more important, as they aim to get themselves running in the group. With the way that they have been playing since the loss to Paris Saint-Germain, a lot is expected from Real Madrid.
The Men in White have come out from a massive match as they drew 0-0 against Atletico Madrid and will also have to keep in mind that they have a La Liga match against Granada this weekend. Therefore, a few rotations could go a long way for Zidane. It is always extremely difficult to know what the French manager is thinking, but let’s take a shot at it.
Thibaut Courtois:
The last time that Zidane made rotations, he decided to give Alphonse Areola a starting spot but I don’t see it happening this time around. He will at some point randomly bench Courtois, but I highly doubt that he’ll do that in a UEFA Champions League match that is a mist-win.
Dani Carvajal:
Even though I would love to see Alvaro Odriozola start, I think that could possibly happen against Granada over the weekend. Zidane trusts Carvajal a lot more and he won’t want to take any unnecessary risks this time around. Carvajal played against Atletico Madrid but should have enough in the tank to take on Brugge as well.
Sergio Ramos:
We have seen just how vital Sergio Ramos is to this team and it will be extremely surprising to see him benched. Having said that, Zidane should be planning to rest him soon as he played every match since missing the PSG game and it’s always worrying that he could get fatigued or injured at any moment.
Raphael Varane:
After his partnership with Sergio Ramos proved itself, it is expected that Zidane will continue with this pairing for now while probably benching him or the captain during the weekend in order to get some rest and give more minutes to Eder Militao who has proven that he can do the required job when called upon.
Nacho:
Another start for Nacho at left-back is expected and that shouldn’t be as worrying as it was earlier in the week after a magnificent performance in the second 45 minutes against Atletico Madrid. Nacho knows what it takes to play in that position and has gradually improved. Whether or not he will play there for the whole game solely depends on Marcelo’s situation.
Carlos Casemiro:
With no natural defensive midfielder on the cards other than Carlos Casemiro, I don’t see when or how he can be rested. Federico Valverde can do the job but nowhere as good as the Brazilian. Zidane will need to find a way to make this work soon because resting Casemiro for one game could be saving him from missing 3-5 games due to injury especially when we have such a packed schedule.
Luka Modric:
I expect to see Luka Modric back in the starting lineup after coming on as a substitute in the Madrid derby. He looked good and didn’t face any complications so he could probably play around 60 minutes against Club Brugge before being subbed off.
James Rodriguez:
With a partnership of Modric and James Rodriguez, that means Toni Kroos will be rested and I think it would be for the best. He worked tirelessly over the past couple games so benching him for this shouldn’t hurt us too much. James has been one of our best players so far this season and deserves to play as much as possible. It would be very shocking to me if the Colombian is not picked as part of the starting XI tomorrow.
Karim Benzema:
Another start is probably in the cards for the Frenchman who has been in sizzling form recently. We will need his ability to get out of tight spaces and force the opposition to make a mistake as Brugge will be expected to be extremely solid in defense.
Luka Jovic:
Yes, that’s right. I have a strange feeling that Zidane will be going for a 4-4-2 formation tomorrow. It’s a risky thought but he has done it once before and I think that Club Brugge is a perfect opponent to have this against. Whether or not the manager sees it that way remains to be seen.