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Real Madrid Predicted Starting XI vs. Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey Round of 32

By Kevin Parvizi

Real Madrid, Peter Federico Gonzalez (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Real Madrid, Peter Federico Gonzalez (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Real Madrid, Antonio Blanco
Real Madrid, Antonio Blanco (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

CM Eduardo Camavinga

An obvious start for this Copa del Rey match, Eduardo Camavinga has been a bright spot for Real Madrid so far this season. While he is not flying as high as he was to start his career in Madrid with a debut goal vs. Celta Vigo and a match-winning assist at the San Siro, he is still impressing. Camavinga was good against Athletic Bilbao to close 2021, starting as the defensive midfielder with Casemiro suspended.

Expect Camavinga to make a lot of recoveries and lead plenty of attacks down the left-hand side. Against Alcoyano, this is a great opportunity for Madridistas to see Camavinga leading attacks and taking on that kind of a leadership role in midfield as an all-around player. He has that upside.

DM Antonio Blanco

Antonio Blanco was ice-cold for Real Madrid when they needed him in the midfield to close the 2020-2021 title race. The Castilla product has been bumped in the pecking order after Camavinga’s marquee summer signing, but fans of the club are just as enamored with Blanco as they were last season. Blanco has all the tools to be a great midfielder in LaLiga, whether that ends up being in Madrid or elsewhere.

He can very well start against Alcoyano and keep play ticking. Like the other young midfielders in Madrid, Blanco is good at a lot of things, and that will also be important against Alcoyano, who will try to burn Real in transition.

CM Fede Valverde

Fede Valverde has not yet logged 1,000 minutes this season in LaLiga, as he has mostly been a backup for Los Blancos. Since Toni Kroos returned from injury, Valverde has been the fourth man in midfield, which was expected, but since this is his third season after breaking out in 2019-2020, Madridistas have been hoping for another step forward.

The young midfielder needs to get into a rhythm, which is tough given how great the main trio is in Madrid. Let’s see if Valverde can have a Man of the Match-quality performance at Alcoyano, because that’s the level he can be at. That’s the level he should be at in midfield.

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