Real Madrid Predicted XI Against Eibar: Vinicius Junior, Luka Jovic to start

Only three days after a 6-0 win against Galatasaray, Real Madrid take on Eibar in La Liga as they aim to record another win ahead of the international break.

Zinedine Zidane will not want to underestimate his opponents on the night but I expect that we will be seeing some changes to the Real Madrid starting eleven that took the pitch in the UEFA Champions League.

Thibaut Courtois:

Was able to record yet another clean sheet in midweek and will want to keep this going for as long as possible. The Belgian goalkeeper has looked a lot better since his performance against Club Brugge as he’s slowly doing everything he can to ensure that the Bernabeu faithful are back on his side.

Dani Carvajal:

It’s difficult to see Zidane give Carvajal a rest and play Alvaro Odriozola instead. He’ll want his defenders to be at their best and it’s clear that the manager doesn’t trust his second-choice right-back at the moment.

Eder Militao:

We may see some shuffling in the center of defense which could see Eder Militao make a start ahead of Raphael Varane. The Brazilian has shown that he’s more than capable of starting and coming out with convincing performances. He’s also in need of more play time so this could be a great opportunity for him.

Sergio Ramos:

If Zidane was to bench either Varane or Sergio Ramos, he’d always choose the Frenchman over the captain. Sergio Ramos brings a lot to the table by just being on the pitch, which is something Real Madrid are still in need of at the moment.

Ferland Mendy:

Marcelo was taken off towards the end of the first half against Galatasaray and depending on how bad his injury is, we may not see him on Saturday night. In any case, I think Zidane will start with Mendy just so he doesn’t take any unnecessary risks.

Carlos Casemiro:

Arguably the first name on the team sheet, Carlos Casemiro is integral to Zidane and the game against Eibar will be no different. It was good to see him taken off early against Galatasaray in order to get some much needed rest.

Toni Kroos:

Another player who has shown that he’s extremely important to the team set up is Toni Kroos and Zidane will need to count on him for the game on Saturday. His presence alone gives Real Madrid a boost and it will be surprising if we don’t see him named in the starting eleven on the night.

Federico Valverde:

Started against Galatasaray and it seems clear that he is part of Zidane’s first choice center midfield pairing. There is no reason why he shouldn’t start the game. He still needs more experience and if Zidane will want to continue using the Uruguayan, then games like these are what he needs.

Vinicius Junior:

We all witnessed an absolute masterclass from Rodrygo Goes against Galatasaray but I expect that he’ll be rested against Eibar. His stamina isn’t at its best yet and there is no need for Zidane to exhaust him. He may try playing Vinicius on the right to see how that goes while he also has another option with Lucas Vazquez as well.

Eden Hazard:

He hasn’t scored as many goals as he would have liked so far but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been performing very well. The Belgian continues to improve with every match and he will want to continue doing so as Real Madrid take on Eibar.

Luka Jovic:

This is a risky call as we all know how much Zidane counts on Karim Benzema but we may see Luka Jovic given the nod on the night. We all know his capabilities and he needs the time to show that he’s able to be the player that Real Madrid need him to be.