Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs Villarreal: Back to normal

Real Madrid will be going against Villarreal after a very impressive 6-1 win over Mallorca which saw them top of the table after being able to rest some key players on the night. This time, Carlo Ancelotti will be expected to come out with a starting eleven that is more familiar to what we have seen throughout the course of the season so far as he’ll also have a chance to rest some of them once again in midweek when Los Blancos take on Sheriff in the UEFA Champions League.

Goalkeeper:

Because of the tactics used by Ancelotti and the fact that the team is working on a new center-back partnership, Thibaut Courtois is finding it a little difficult to come out with a clean sheet even though his performances so far this campaign have been nothing short of brilliant. He’ll be hoping that changes soon.

Defenders:

There is a little bit of a question mark here following Dani Carvajal’s injury as to who will take the right-back spot between Lucas Vazquez and Nacho. If we are going to judge on the past couple matches, then it will have to be Nacho Fernandez who wins that contest after a good performance against Mallorca on Wednesday night.

That would mean that the center-back partnership on the night will be Eder Militao and David Alaba who are slowly solidifying the understanding between them while we could potentially see a second consecutive start for Miguel Gutierrez, who has a lot to learn but also has what it takes to be the starter in this game. Once Ferland Mendy and Marcelo are back, we will probably see a lot less of Miguel so this is a time to give him the minutes that he needs.

Midfielders:

When it comes to the midfield trio, don’t expect too much experimenting this time around. Carlos Casemiro was rested against Mallorca and will be fit enough to take his spot in the starting eleven behind another player who didn’t play in midweek as Luka Modric will be able to bring his magic onto the pitch once again. The third of the three midfield players will be the only one who didn’t get much rest as Federico Valverde will be starting once again. Expect the Uruguayan to get a little more time resting once Toni Kroos is ready to go, which should be extremely soon as the German is back to training on the pitch.

Forwards:

Just like there were questions asked as to who will start at right-back, the same could be asked about the player chosen to be on the right wing and it seems like we’ll be seeing Eden Hazard back in the lineup after impressing against Valencia last weekend while the extremely impressive Vinicius Junior will be on the opposite flank. Up front? Karim Benzema of course. The attacker has been in unbelievable form and will be hoping for more of the same on Saturday night.

Full Predicted Lineup

Thibaut Courtois, Nacho Fernandez, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Miguel Gutierrez, Carlos Casemiro, Federico Valverde, Luka Modric, Eden Hazard, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema