Real Madrid Predicted XI vs. Espanyol: Karim Benzema gets some rest

On Sunday, Real Madrid will take on Espanyol in La Liga.

Real Madrid have been able to stay at the top of La Liga for another Gameweek but it won’t be getting any easier from here with seven more “Finals” to go. Next up is Espanyol who Los Merengues were able to beat 2-0 earlier in the season but have faced problems when visiting the RCDE Stadium in recent years.

The opponents have not had the greatest season so far as they find themselves in last place and struggling to get out of the relegation zone but that means that we are preparing to play against a squad willing to fight and do what it takes to come out with something on the night. They have got nothing to lose and therefore we should be prepared.

Predicted Lineup:

Goalkeeper –

Real Madrid will start with Thibaut Courtois in goal. There has been some suggestions that this could be a game where we see Alphonse Areola start but I highly doubt that Zidane will want to take an unnecessary risk such as this one. The French goalkeeper hasn’t played in quite some time and even though it would be nice to see him in goal, this definitely isn’t the time.

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Defenders –

Against Real Mallorca, he looked quite tired but Dani Carvajal is expected to be starting once again simply because we don’t have a direct replacement for him. Nacho is the best choice but he’s not back from injury yet and therefore Carvajal will need to do what he can to keep his performances ongoing.

In the center, I’ll go back and predict that we’ll see a partnership of Raphael Varane and Eder Militao. The captain needs to rest and once he’s back, the team could look into giving Varane a day off afterwards.

As for the left-back slot, the return of Marcelo to the lineup will be seen as Ferland Mendy will be suspended after receiving a yellow card in the match against Mallorca.

Midfielders –

The game against Espanyol will see the return of Carlos Casemiro to the lineup after he served his suspension while the two midfielders in front of the Brazilian will be Toni Kroos, who was rested in the last game but came on for the last 30 minutes and Federico Valverde.

Luka Modric won’t be able to take part in this match as well due to suspension after he received a yellow card in the last La Liga game.

Forwards –

As always, Zidane’s main changes may come with the forwards and I think we’ll see some unexpected changes here. The manager may decide to rest Vinicius after the Brazilian had two brilliant matches while Eden Hazard may start on his favored left-wing again.

On the right flank, Gareth Bale was picked last time but I predict the return of Rodrygo Goes. For the biggest shock, this may actually be the only time that we can rest Karim Benzema and even though it’s a risky prediction, I’ll go with Mariano Diaz as the starting striker.

Next. Real Madrid vs. Mallorca Player Ratings. dark

Full Predicted Lineup:

Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Eder Militao, Marcelo, Carlos Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo Goes, Eden Hazard, Mariano Diaz

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