Real Madrid Predicted Starting XI against Valencia

Real Madrid prepare for an integral week in the La Liga title race as they take on Valencia and Barcelona in the space of four days.

Los Merengues know how important this week could be in the title race even though it’s still December but getting six points against two of the best teams in the competition will do wonders for them mentally while putting them in first place ahead of their Catalan rivals. Therefore, Zidane will need to think about his lineups strategically, which is something he has been doing since early last week.

Thibaut Courtois

He was expected to rest against Club Brugge and that’s exactly what Zidane did as Alphonse Areola was between the sticks with Courtois fully focused on the week ahead. The Belgian has improved drastically in recent months and if he is able to come out with really good performances this week, it’ll be difficult to find many people still going against him,

Dani Carvajal

Another player who has been able to get rest over the week was Dani Carvajal and he will be one of the first people on the starting list against Valencia. The Spanish right-back hasn’t been at his very best overall this season but it’s clear that he has been improving, particularly whenever going forward and that will be a weapon we will see him use a lot on Sunday night.

Raphael Varane

Raphael Varane has easily been our best center-back this season and will have to play in the coming week. Even though he played the full 90 minutes against Club Brugge, he should still be able and fit enough to play against Valencia and a big performance is expected from the French international.

Sergio Ramos

Sunday night will see the definite return of our captain to the lineup after he was rested last week. As a leader, there is no one that can come close to him in our squad and hopefully we are able to witness one of his better performances on the night.

Nacho Fernandez

With the injury to Marcelo and the suspension to Ferland Mendy, Nacho Fernandez will have a massive task ahead of him. He isn’t naturally a left-back, hasn’t played in months and just returned from injury but he will have to start against Valencia and show the same improvement that we have been seeing from him before his injury. Nacho hasn’t played a single minute since being injured so hopefully he’s fit enough to play the full 90 minutes with high intensity.

Federico Valverde

Like many around, I also predict that we won’t see Carlos Casemiro starting on the night as he’s one yellow card away from suspension and Zidane needs him in El Clasico. Therefore, Federico Valverde will be expected to take over the defensive midfield role and even though he’s not Casemiro, there is no reason to think that he cannot get the job done but it will be a messy affair.

Toni Kroos

The importance of Toni Kroos to the team cannot be underrated and the German is a must to start on Sunday night. He has been refreshed and his performances this season have been back to his best, which is exactly what we’ll need to see against a very strong Valencia side.

Isco

Isco has had somewhat of a resurgence in recent weeks and it shows that Zidane is seeing it as well since the match against Paris Saint-Germain. Even though he was one of the players who started against Club Brugge, he is fit enough to play Valencia and I think we’ll see him in the starting lineup once again ahead of Luka Modric on the night.

Gareth Bale

This might be a bit of a risky prediction but I think we’ll see Gareth Bale start in a match where he can cause damage if he’s at his best. The Welshman is more than capable of causing Valencia problems and his skillset would be a huge asset to Real Madrid on the night.

Vinicius Junior

With Eden Hazard injured and Vinicius finding form once again, I think we’ll see the Brazilian forward start once again on Sunday. Vinicius has shown time and time again that he is able to go against the best and when he’s in the form that he’s in, not many players can cope with his speed when going forward.

Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema finally got some rest against Club Brugge and there is no way we won’t see him start both games this week. The French striker has been on fire since last season and having him on the pitch is a must on the night.

Full Predicted Lineup –

Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Nacho Fernandez, Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos, Isco, Gareth Bale, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema