Real Madrid: Three burning questions heading into the Champions League round of 16
By Ben Sundock
Real Madrid has the difficult task of overturning a 2-1 deficit on the road in the Champions League against Manchester City. Here, we discuss if they can make a comeback and other burning questions heading into Friday’s match.
It looked set in stone that Real Madrid would win the first leg against Manchester City in the Spanish capital. Isco‘s goal an hour in and Real’s consistent defense looked stout stopping the high octane City attack.
Then, the substitution that saw Pep Guardiola bring on Raheem Sterling changed the flow of the match. City scored twice in five minutes, Sergio Ramos received a red card, and Los Blancos now find themselves down by a goal heading to northern England.
Who starts, who comes on as a sub, and who sits?
Of course, the biggest question heading into the second leg is, who starts for Real Madrid? Better yet, what formation will manager Zinedine Zidane elect to use for this match? In the first leg, we saw Zizou roll out a hybrid 4-3-3 with Vinicius Junior on the left and Isco on the right.
While those two linked up for the lone goal, I wouldn’t expect to see either in the starting lineup Friday night.
Needing to score at least two goals to advance, I think it is safe to assume that Zidane will elect to start Eden Hazard on the left – if he is 100 percent fit – and Marco Asensio on the right to bracket Karim Benzema in his usual role as the no. nine.
The decision of who starts at left-back is as important or could be seen as more important than who starts on the forward line. Will it be Ferland Mendy or Marcelo?
With Ramos suspended, Zidane could look to the Brazilian veteran who has always been clutch in the big matches. But, his fitness levels and overall health are still a concern. I would still prefer to see Mendy start because of his consistency helping on the attack, but Marcelo starting makes plenty of sense. It all comes down to what Zidane has seen in training I think.
Having players fresh for the full 90 minutes is paramount. Rodrygo, Vinicius, Isco, Luka Jovic, Lucas Vazquez, and Federico Valverde can all provide a spark off the bench and the five substitute rule change could swing the match in favor of the visitors after the hour mark.