Real Madrid are back in action in the UEFA Champions League as they take on Galatasaray in a must-win tie at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Merengues are coming out of a disappointing 0-0 draw against Real Betis in a match where Zinedine Zidane played a lot of his usual starters. The majority of these players will need to dig deeper as anything less than win will not be acceptable against a very resilient Galatasaray side who gave Los Blancos trouble the last time the two sides met in a match that ended with a narrow Real Madrid win.
Predicted Lineup:
Thibaut Courtois –Â
Thibaut Courtois has been in wonderful form recently and there is no reason why he wouldn’t start the match against Galatasaray. The Belgian is coming off of two consecutive clean sheets and will definitely want to make it three!
Dani Carvajal –
He hasn’t been in the greatest form recently but he is still our best choice at right-back and I expect that Zidane won’t think twice about playing Carvajal as a starter on the night. Some major improvement is required from the Spaniard though and hopefully we’ll see it on Wednesday night.
Raphael Varane –Â
Started during the weekend against Real Betis and there is no reason why he wouldn’t start yet against on Wednesday. The French defender is one of the best in the world when he’s in form and he’s slowly reaching top form once again. His partnership with Sergio Ramos is our best defensive pairing at the moment.
Sergio Ramos –Â
The captain is a guaranteed starter for the Champions League clash and has no reason not to start. We all know what he brings to the table aside from his presence in our defensive line and he could prove to be as massive asset on the night.
Marcelo –Â
Zidane chose to rest Marcelo against Real Betis with Ferland Mendy playing the full 90 minutes and I think the Brazilian will be chosen to start on Wednesday night. Offensively, Marcelo will offer us a great option but defensively, he needs to be careful as Galatasaray are a team that know how to expose weaknesses and Marcelo’s defending is a weakness of ours.
Carlos Casemiro –Â
Casemiro has to start and there is no way around it. The Brazilian is probably the first name on the team sheet when Zidane is getting his squad prepared and it’s clear to see why as the who team crumbles when the Brazilian isn’t on the pitch.
Toni Kroos –Â
Possibly Real Madrid’s best player so far this season, Toni Kroos is someone needed against Galatasaray. It would have been nice to see him rested during the weekend but the game didn’t go as planned and taking the German off would have done a lot more harm than good at that point.
Federico Valverde –Â
Another player who was rested as Luka Modric played instead, I expect that Federico Valverde will return to the starting lineup on Wednesday night. He did well the last time against him and has impressed every time Zidane put him on the pitch.
Rodrygo Goes –Â
Rodrygo has been getting more chances than even he imagined lately and has been doing well with them. I think he’ll be starting again after making his UEFA Champions League debut the last time that the two sides met. Maybe Zidane will take a slight risk and play Vinicius on the left this time around?
Eden Hazard –Â
With each passing game, Eden Hazard has shown improvement and the upcoming Galatasaray match should be no different. He still has some way to go before reaching the heights that he knows he can reach, but this version of Hazard has shown so much determination so far and deserves to start this game as well.
Karim Benzema –Â
Our star striker and a guaranteed starter, Karim Benzema will need to be at his best on Wednesday as Real Madrid chase a highly-needed win on the night. Los Blancos have made life difficult for themselves and now they need to get out of it. Benzema may very well end up being the man who makes a difference.