Real Madrid vs. Sevilla Bold Predictions: James Rodriguez starts
By Yasheel Vyas
On Saturday, Real Madrid will look to pick up a second win over Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu. Here are three bold predictions for this marquee matchup.
Real Madrid host Sevilla for the first game since winning the Super Copa against Atletico Madrid last week. Lopetegui’s Sevilla have been pretty good so far this season and are fourth in the table, level on points with Atletico Madrid.
Sevilla have been a tough side to play against, but Real have a history of easing past them at the Bernabeu.
Sevilla’s main issue this season has been not scoring enough goals with Luuk De Jong struggling in front of goal, but they have signed Youssef En-Nesyri and will hope for him to get going against Real Madrid.
Real Madrid are struggling with their injury issues with Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Luka Jovic all doubtful for the game against the Andalusian side. Gareth Bale is back in full training, and Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio are back on the pitch, which is a good sign ahead of a tough schedule and big Champions League game coming up in February.
Games against Sevilla have always been exciting and full of goals, and I am expecting more of the same this weekend with the last five games averaging more than 3 goals per game. Here are my three bold predictions for the game on Saturday.
1. Zidane to switch to 4-3-3 again
Zinedine Zidane surprised many with his lineup in the Super Copa as he packed the midfield with five classic midfielders and Luka Jovic leading the frontline. It worked pretty well for Los Blancos as they dominated both games and ended up with the trophy as well.
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Packing the midfield and pressing high unnerves the opposition and helps win possession back quickly in the opposition half, which helped Real Madrid completely outclass Valencia in the semifinals.
Casemiro and Toni Kroo held the fort as deep lying midfielders with Fede Valverde playing wide as a right midfielder and both Luka Modric and Isco playing as attacking midfielders.
Fede is suspended for the game and Modric played the full 120 minutes, so it’s impossible Zidane will field all his five midfielders together on the field.
Real Madrid lacked depth in attack going into the Supercopa, but Gareth Bale is back from his injury. All these factors point to Zidane going for a 4-3-3 with Vinicius likely on left and Bale on right.
2. Luka Jovic finally gets going
Luka Jovic has been the name on the lip on all Madridistas names’ since Benzema’s injury and everyone is wishing him to get the goals and silence the critics. Luka Jovic was signed from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer for 60 million euros and hasn’t got enough playing time due to Karim Benzema’s monstrous form since the start of last season.
Jovic finally got two consecutive starts in Supercopa due to Benzema’s injury and is likely to start ahead of the France international on Saturday, as he’s just making a comeback from injury. Jovic bagged an assist against Valencia but didn’t get enough chances to score in either of the two games he played in Spanish Supercup.
I expect Jovic to finally find his scoring boots against Sevilla who have not been good defensively historically at the Bernabeu and Jovic will have a better understanding of his teammates after getting more playing time.
3. James Rodriguez starts
James Rodriguez is finally back from his injury he aggravated while playing for Colombia in October. James was getting good playing time under Zidane and was in decent form before a series of injuries kept him out of the team.
The Colombian is back in contention and with Fede suspended and Modric playing the full 120 minutes against Atletico in the Supercup, there’s a chance Zidane will opt for the Colombian in the midfield.
Next. Real Madrid Predicted Starting XI vs. Sevilla. dark
He worked hard in training and impressed Zidane with his work rate and willingness to track back and help the team out defensively. His playing style will suit Luka Jovic more as well, because James is a more direct player and has an amazing vision for finding out his man, which is perfect for a traditional striker like Jovic. Zidane for sure loves catching the opposition with surprise, and this could be the surprise inclusion on Saturday.