Real Madrid have just come out of two very good and necessary wins as they beat Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League before being victorious in El Clasico with a 2-1 victory against Barcelona. As high as they may be riding right now, they must keep in mind that it will all mean nothing if they do not use it to find some consistency and their focus needs to be on Osasuna now. Even though it’s still quite early in the league campaign, Real Madrid currently hold their future in their own hands. Win the games, you’ll be crowned champions.
Goalkeeper
There was a scare towards the end of the game against Barcelona as Thibaut Courtois kicked the ball before falling to the floor in pain while clutching his knee. It all seems to have been a small issue, and the Belgian should be back in goal on Wednesday night.
Defenders
It’s wonderful news that Real Madrid have welcomed back Dani Carvajal but with the injury problems that he has, rushing the Spaniard back isn’t the best idea. Lucas Vazquez will be expected to start once again with the center-back pairing continuing to be Eder Militao and David Alaba. As for the left-back position, it’s held closely and securely by Ferland Mendy and there is no reason that he shouldn’t be starting once again. However, if the game goes well, don’t be surprised to see Marcelo given some time as he is also slowly returning from injury.
Midfielders
Even though he hasn’t really been at his best this season, it’s still difficult to bench Carlos Casemiro at the moment especially since Federico Valverde will be sidelined with an injury for a few days. In front of the Brazilian, it looks like this won’t be the time to give Luka Modric and Toni Kroos a rest but expect at least one of them to either be taken off early or end up being rested for the weekend game. Eduardo Camavinga will be hunting for more minutes but at the moment, it looks like Ancelotti does not want to tinker with the starting eleven if he doesn’t necessarily need to.
Forwards
This is where we could possibly see a change to the starting eleven though. Carlo Ancelotti made it clear that his starting wingers as of now are Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior, so don’t expect that to change. Vinicius was in absolutely sensational form over the weekend as he caused havoc for the Barcelona defenders before being taken off a little late with a minor cramp. On the opposite end, Rodrygo was the quieter of the two but did his job well and provided the assist for David Alaba’s wonderful goal. As long as they continue to impress, they will play.
Up front, could Karim Benzema be rested? The French forward needs a small break as he hasn’t been able to fully train normally so this could be a golden opportunity for Luka Jovic who has been patiently waiting for his time to shine. Benzema will almost certainly be with the team in case his services are required but it may be time for the Serbian to show that he has what it takes to step up to the plate when he’s needed.
Full Predicted Starting Lineup
Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Carlos Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Rodrygo Goes, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema
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