Real Madrid Predicted XI Against Real Betis: Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo start

Real Madrid prepare to take on Real Betis in La Liga on Saturday night, three days after an ego-boosting 5-0 win against Leganes and four days before a must-win match against Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League.

With an eye on the Wednesday match against Galatasaray, it will be a little surprising if we don’t see Zinedine Zidane make a couple changes to the lineup that took the pitch against Leganes. Having said that, don’t expect too many changes as the manager will not want to take a risk similar to the one that saw us lose our first and only match so far in La Liga against Real Mallorca.

Thibaut Courtois:

Two games, two clean sheets and two good performances have to guarantee that Thibaut Courtois will start again on Saturday. He needs consistency and benching him (even if just to rest him) could do more harm than good at this point.

Dani Carvajal:

Alvaro Odriozola is back from suspension, but I just feel as though Zidane doesn’t trust him as much as he does with Carvajal. With our defending being a problem so far this season, Zidane may opt to start with his trusted right back who had a brilliant outing against Leganes.

Raphael Varane: 

Another player who isn’t expected to be rotated, even though Eder Militao has put in some good performances so far this season. As mentioned earlier, our defending has been a problem so it will be a little surprising to see the manager not choose our best center-backs at the moment.

Sergio Ramos:

Scored a penalty against Leganes, and even though rest could do him some good, we have seen how the team crumbles without our captain standing alongside them. This isn’t a good thing but having him there definitely increases our chance of getting all three points on the night.

Ferland Mendy:

I expected him to start against Leganes, but I think Real Betis will be his comeback game with this being the only change from the back four on Wednesday night. Marcelo is almost definitely going to start in the Champions League and therefore Mendy can get the job done against Real Betis. The Frenchman has been immense whenever called upon and I predict another great night for him on Saturday if he is picked.

Carlos Casemiro:

It is what it is; we cannot bench Carlos Casemiro. Not only is there no other suitable replacement for him, but he’s in the form of his life and has gotten us out of trouble more times than I can count. The Brazilian is an essential piece to Zidane’s puzzle and no matter who else is named in the squad, we are always a lot weaker without him.

Federico Valverde:

He started on Wednesday, and I would be surprised if we don’t see him starting again on Saturday and next Wednesday as well. A wonderful player and someone who clearly has the backing of the staff and the squad, Valverde has all but cemented his name in the center of the pitch ahead of Luka Modric. Having said that, I still expect the Croatian to start against Real Betis.

Luka Modric:

He played a few minutes against Leganes and won a penalty. I think he will be given more time on the pitch this time around as Zidane would probably choose to give Toni Kroos a deserved rest. The German could come on during the second half though depending on how the match is going. Zidane’s choice for the midfield duo will be very interesting to see.

Rodrygo:

He’s young and energetic and has repaid the faith of the manager time and time again. Played twice only so far in La Liga and got his name on the score sheet both times. He’ll want to do it again and I think he’ll get the opportunity to do so. His stamina hasn’t been great though so it will all depend on how things go in training probably. If he’s not chosen then it will likely be Lucas Vazquez in his place.

Vinicius Junior:

Personally (and with no offense to Vinicius), I would prefer if Eden Hazard started on the left again. He needs the minutes. However, Vinicius was not called up last Wednesday and that is possibly because Zidane has already planned to start him on Saturday while resting Hazard for the Galatasaray game. As much as Hazard needs the minutes, it’s hard to deny that Vinicius does as well. This is a really good headache for Zidane to have right now.

Luka Jovic:

Yes, I’ll take this risk here and say that Luka Jovic will start ahead of Karim Benzema on the night. Choosing the Frenchman is an easy bet but I think this is the perfect time for the Serbian to start a game. He finally got his first official goal for the club earlier in the week and he’s on cloud nine. If he starts against Real Betis and gets a goal on the night, it will do wonders for the young striker.