Real Madrid: 5 players who will be vital for getting revenge against Shakhtar

4. TONI KROOS

The next player on the list again is one who hasn’t played much for Real Madrid so far. Moreover, Carlo Ancelotti’s weird decision to play him wide in midfield successfully muted him for the whole match against Espanyol. Something unheard of when talked about one of the best central midfielders of this generation, Toni Kroos.

But unlike his muted outing against Espanyol, Toni Kroos, I believe would be very much key to seeking revenge over Shakhtar if Don Carlo goes back to the usual Real Madrid 4-3-2, something he really should. We haven’t seen Kroos do what he does best and it has been a long wait, to be honest.

Champions League is undoubtedly a competition that is closer to heart than any to all the threepeat stars including Kroos. We’d expect something similar to what we saw against Liverpool in last season’s quarterfinals. If not a performance at the very same level, Madridistas expect Real Madrid to take charge of midfield and control the pace of the game now that Real’s first-choice midfield is ready to start. Either way, Toni Kroos has been a difference-maker on the pitch for several occasions and we’d like to see him at a similar level following the restart.