Real Madrid aim to get all three points before heading into the international break.
Real Madrid prepare to take on Valencia at the Mestalla after a hard-fought 3-2 win in the UEFA Champions League against Inter Milan. With yet another International Break starting after this game, Los Blancos will want to end the weekend with a convincing win.
Goalkeeper
Consistently cementing himself as one of the most integral members of the team, Thibaut Courtois will be expected to start as usual. The Belgian goalkeeper still has even more to offer and we continue seeing him find various ways to continue improving.
Defenders
With none of our right-backs fit yet for the game, Lucas Vazquez will be expected to continue in his “new” position. It’s worth mentioning that the Spaniard has been quite impressive there but any talk of him competing with Dani Carvajal for that spot should be seen as baseless.
In the center, Raphael Varane will start with the knowledge that he hasn’t been at his best during the past few months and will need to improve as soon as possible as he will be partnered with Sergio Ramos who has continued to shine wherever he is on the pitch. On the left, it’s arguably a toss-up but at the moment Ferland Mendy is our best left-back and should be expected to start against Valencia.
Midfielders
He hasn’t been at his best recently and that could be linked to fatigue but it’s difficult to see Zinedine Zidane bench Carlos Casemiro as he doesn’t have a direct replacement and therefore there is no one else in the squad that does what he does. In front of him, we may see Luka Modric back in the lineup but the person next to him is where the question will be as the manager may choose Federico Valverde ahead of Toni Kroos for the game.
Rodrygo Goes may have done enough to start in Real Madrid’s next match.
Forwards
Not many changes are expected from the forward line we saw start against Inter Milan in midweek other than on the right side. Marco Asensio was not at his best while Rodrygo Goes came in and scored the winner. That could be enough for Zidane to give him yet another chance in the lineup especially since it’s clear that Zidane highly rates the young Brazilian.
On the left, we should be seeing Eden Hazard start for the third consecutive match. He received a knock against Inter Milan but that doesn’t seem to have any long-term effects on the Belgian who has been training normally with the team. Karim Benzema will be our striker as he only continued to cement his place with a well-taken goal in midweek.
Full Starting Lineup:
Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Vazquez, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy, Carlos Casemiro, Federico Valverde, Luka Modric, Rodrygo Goes, Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema