Real Madrid Predicted XI vs Inter Milan: Another Chance for Mariano to Shine?

Who will start for Real Madrid at Inter Milan on Wednesday?

Real Madrid prepare to take on Inter Milan in a must-win UEFA Champions League encounter. The team have been extremely poor of late and they’ll need this win not only to increase their chances of making it to the next round, but also to get their confidence back up.

Goalkeeper

His late dive in the box gave Villarreal the penalty to equalize during the weekend, but Thibaut Courtois is nowhere close to being in danger of being benched. The Belgian was still on top form during the match and we were able to witness his improvement when it came to distributing the ball. He’s only getting better.

Defenders

All signs seem to point to us seeing the same back four that started against Villarreal. The return of Dani Carvajal was a breath of fresh air as he looked like he was never injured while the central defender pairing will be Nacho Fernandez who looks a lot more comfortable in the center than he did on the right as well as Raphael Varane. Our left-back on the night should be Ferland Mendy even though he played the full match against Villarreal. Expect him to be rested during the match on Saturday.

Midfielders

It is still unknown whether Carlos Casemiro will be back in the squad as he waits for results from his Covid-19 test but if he does return, Zidane will definitely be starting him. However, at the moment it looks like our midfield trio will include Toni Kroos who was back to his best during the weekend as well as Luka Modric.

The Croatian has been good but it’s worrying if he plays two matches in less than a week as fatigue could get the best of him. Martin Odegaard returned as a starter and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him start again on Wednesday night after a good performance with Zidane being a big fan of the young Norwegian.

Forwards

Lucas Vazquez started the match on Saturday but he will most likely have to settle for a place on the bench as Marco Asensio is expected to return to the lineup on the right wing. On the left, Eden Hazard will be given a chance to make amends after a poor showing the last time out. He’s expected to be a game-changer and that wasn’t what we witnessed when the team took on Villarreal.

Up front, Mariano Diaz may be given the chance to shine again after scoring early on his first start of the season. With Karim Benzema (injured) and Luka Jovic (Covid-19) out still, Mariano is the only striker option Zidane currently has at his disposal.

Full Predicted Lineup

Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernandez, Raphael Varane, Ferland Mendy, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Martin Odegaard, Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard, Mariano Diaz