Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs Chelsea: The Return of the Captain

Real Madrid prepare for what is surely their biggest match of the season so far as they visit Stamford Bridge for the UEFA Champions League second-leg semifinals against Chelsea after the first-leg ended 1-1 between the two sides thanks to a brilliant Karim Benzema equalizer.

Goalkeeper

No prizes for guessing who will be the starting goalkeeper as Thibaut Courtois prepares to make his first trip to Stamford Bridge since securing his move to Real Madrid. The goalkeeper was once again in great form during the first game between the two sides and this time he will be hoping for a clean sheet.

Defenders

All signs point to Zinedine Zidane going with a three-man defense once again for this game after he shocked many people (including Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel) when he did the same move in the first-leg.

With Raphael Varane also missing the game through injury, Zidane’s choices are a little more limited than he would have liked but he will be happy to welcome back Sergio Ramos as he expects to start the captain right away which will be a talking point all game if it happens as this could lead to a potential injury again.

He will be standing alongside Nacho Fernandez and Eder Militao who have both been in sensational form recently and both deserve to start. If the manager does decide to have four at the back, then Nacho and Militao should both be starting- they have earned it.

Midfielders

With a three-man defense comes, to a certain extent, a five-man midfield. Alvaro Odriozola will be depending on his speed a lot this time around as he is expected to start on the right and practically cover the full right flank with Marcelo seems to be the man picked on the opposite end. Ferland Mendy has returned from injury but starting him will be a massive risk.

He will definitely be coming on at some point depending on how the game goes. Carlos Casemiro will be deployed as the defensive midfielder as we welcome back the duo of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos who have benefited from being rested in the last La Liga match against Osasuna.

Forwards

With only two places left, I think it’s safe to say that it’s almost a giveaway to guess who will be taking these spots. Eden Hazard impressed during his 70 minutes on the pitch against Osasuna in what was his first start in over a month and a half and he’ll want to start once again in the place that he once called home. In front of him will be our hero so far this season in Karim Benzema and he’ll definitely have an eye for goal as Real Madrid will need to score if they have any chance of booking their spot in the final of the UEFA Champions League.

Full Predicted Lineup

Thibaut Courtois, Nacho Fernandez, Sergio Ramos, Eder Militao, Alvaro Odriozola, Marcelo, Carlos Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema