Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs Athletic Bilbao: En Route to the Final

Real Madrid prepare for their first cup game of 2021 as they take on Athletic Bilbao in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup.

Real Madrid prepare to take on a revamped Athletic Bilbao side on Thursday night in Malaga for the Spanish Super Cup semifinals as the team know that all competitions are there to play for and they will want to defend the title. After a disappointing draw in La Liga against Osasuna, Los Merengues need to step it up and do whatever it takes to book their place in the Final.

This is not a game for rotations or for experimenting but rather a match where Zinedine Zidane will need to place the trust in players that he has trusted this whole time to get him to the next round of the competition.

Goalkeeper

There is no doubting who will be chosen between the sticks on Thursday night as Thibaut Courtois will want to continue his good run of form. He’ll be happy to go into this after a clean sheet in his previous match and he’ll want to continue on this form as things begin to get serious as we enter the business end of the season.

Defenders

Even though Lucas Vazquez is able to slot into the right-back position quite well, it will be a breath of fresh air to have Dani Carvajal back after serving his suspension. The Spaniard has been in incredible form since he returned from injury and whenever he’s fit, he’s always an asset to the team. Raphael Varane will be in the center after having one of his better performances of the season against Osasuna while our captain Sergio Ramos will be right next to him as he prepares for a cup match which he’s always psyched for. On the left, Ferland Mendy had a poor match on Saturday but will be back to start and make amends.

Midfielders

It would be a little surprising if we see any major changes to Zidane’s preferred midfield lineup. Carlos Casemiro is expected to start as usual while the partnership between Luka Modric and Toni Kroos has been sensational to watch over the past few games. However, you could make an argument for Federico Valverde to get a start on the night and it’s also true that Zidane chooses to play the Uruguayan in ‘bigger’ games as he’s extremely intelligent when it comes to pressing and moving the ball forward but it’s also very difficult to see the manager bench Modric or Kroos especially when they’re in this current form.

Forwards

We have seen some good glimpses of Marco Asensio over the past couple matches but he will probably be returned to the bench as Lucas Vazquez gets another start. The Spaniard looked absolutely exhaused by the end of the match against Osasuna but he’ll definitely be back to his energetic self on Thursday. On the left, Eden Hazard will be expected to make his second consecutive start after showing some very positive signs over the weekend match. Up front, we’re all hoping to see a ready and improved Karim Benzema after a disappointing performance against Osasuna.

Full Predicted Lineup

Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy, Carlos Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Lucas Vazquez, Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema