Real Madrid Starting XI Prediction vs. Real Sociedad for LaLiga’s Matchday 27
CM Eduardo Camavinga
Update: Toni Kroos has suffered a hamstring injury. Eduardo Camavinga is the best option to start before the PSG clash. Another option could be Dani Ceballos, but he is more likely to be the top option off the bench in both matches. Isco is another player who could get more playing time, but Camavinga is clearly the best bet at LCM.
Toni Kroos should be getting rest more often as the season goes on, and I don’t think it would be a bad idea to give him time off before Wednesday’s match against PSG. But Saturday to Wednesday should be enough time for Kroos, who will have had a full week off between the Rayo and La Real clashes within LaLiga.
The German is completing 95 percent of his passes in LaLiga and has a team-high 2.3 key passes per game. But it feels like he has slowed down a bit in the second half of the season, producing midfield performances that are decent but honestly a step below the world-class displays we normally expect from him. Let’s see how he does against a very good La Real midfield, even with Mikel Merino injured.
DM Casemiro
Moreso than with Ferland Mendy, some experimentation in midfield before the Champions League could do some good here. Casemiro is very important to what Real do, and he will be missed against PSG due to suspension.
However, Casemiro’s importance is probably why he will start. Ancelotti does not like rotating, and he will want to get all three points against La Real. He trusts Casemiro 100 percent.
Casemiro is coming off a very poor performance at Rayo Vallecano, so he will want to bounce back. His touch must be better in this match, otherwise La Real will capitalize off any instances of poor ball security from the anchoring midfielder.
CM Fede Valverde
If Luka Modric is going to start against PSG, which seems likely despite the wishes of Madridistas for Fede Valverde, then Fede must start against La Real. I think no matter how it shakes out with Modric against PSG, Valverde should get another start.
In both the 1-0 wins over Granada and Rayo, Fede changed the game for the better off the bench, offering a lot more ball-carrying and ball-winning in midfield. Put simply, Real Madrid need his pace. Without his legs, they are a demonstrably worse team, and that’s why so many Madridistas are begging Fede to start. They begged in the first leg, whether in midfield or on the right wing.
Four-man midfield? We shall see. But for Saturday’s match at the Bernabeu in LaLiga, I believe Fede will get a well-earned start. Hopefully he makes more of it than he did in his last start at Villarreal.