Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs Alaves: Back to Basics

Real Madrid prepare to take on Deportivo Alaves only three days after a humiliating and shocking loss to Segunda B side Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey. Playing a La Liga match means that Zinedine Zidane will be going back to using his usual starting eleven after fielding a weakened side (still should have been strong enough to beat Alcoyano) in their match on Wednesday night. Everyone will be expecting a reaction from the team and it will be interesting to see what happens on Saturday night.

Goalkeeper

Andriy Lunin was finally able to make his official Real Madrid debut on Wednesday night and even though he did fairly well, there is no arguing the fact that Thibaut Courtois will be the Real Madrid goalkeeper once again on Saturday. We may not see Lunin start again until the season is in its closing stages, unfortunately.

Defenders

With Dani Carvajal out with an injury, Lucas Vazquez is expected to start for the 20th consecutive game as he consistently was switched between being a right-back and a right winger. In the center, Raphael Varane will return as it is still questionable whether Sergio Ramos will be back. However, at the moment Eder Militao looks like the more likely option. Ferland Mendy will take his place at left-back after cementing himself as a starter in that position ahead of Marcelo.

Midfielders

It was a little surprising to see that Carlos Casemiro started the game against Alcoyano as many would have preferred that the Brazilian was rested along with the rest of the squad that have been playing constantly but he started and will be doing so once again on Saturday. In front of him, the beloved partnership of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will be back and we should expect to see a lot more of that with the recent rumors surrounding the departure of Martin Odegaard on loan.

Forwards

They all had a part to play in the loss against Alcoyano but none of them started. They will be starting on Saturday though as Marco Asensio will take his place on the right wing while the opposite side will be occupied by Eden Hazard. It will be interesting to see if they will continue to switch between both flanks like they did against Athletic Bilbao in the Super Cup or if Zidane will prefer them to stick to their designated positions this time around.

After a poor performance from Vinicius against Alcoyano as well, it seems like Zidane will be using him even less. Could a loan be on the cards for the Brazilian? Up front, Karim Benzema will be starting and the French striker will be hoping that things look up for him soon as well.

Full Predicted Lineup:

Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Vazquez, Raphael Varane, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Carlos Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema