Real Madrid vs Juventus: Combined XI for the pre-season clash
Right Back – Juan Cuadrado
Due to Real Madrid’s right-back Dani Carvajal’s inability to participate in the first two preseason games trip due to injury, Juventus’ Juan Cuadrado presents his case as the right-back for this combined XI. Carvajal should be back, but he won’t really be in peak physical shape, which is why Cuadrado gets the nod here, having played two games already.
The Colombian full-back is a blazing speedster across the flank who frequently loves to connect with his teammates and launch piercing and threatening progressions within the opposition half, which is a very impressive accomplishment for a 34-year-old.
Cuadrado boasts some extremely outstanding figures in his portfolio, including 4 goals and 3 assists as a fullback last season while averaging 1.30 shots per 90 minutes played. Carvajal is good, and a fully-fit Carvajal would probably make the nod, but for this game, Cuadrado takes it.
Centre Back – Antonio Rudiger
Antonio Rudiger has beautifully been a part of Real Madrid’s team from his first game against Barcelona, when he was tremendously strong in protecting the ball and was eager to live up to the El Clasico fire, demonstrating how he is ever ready to give it all for the club he has just joined, even if that means playing out of position.
Well before this, the German had a solid season. Rudiger was a reliable player for Tuchel’s squad at Chelsea and was also a crucial component of the Champions League-winning team from the season precedent. When compared to any Juventus centre-back, Rudiger performs significantly superior both in terms of the team’s overall efficiency and his individual efforts.
Centre Back – Eder Militao
Militao joined Real Madrid following a good spell at Porto, and after a sluggish start in the royal white, the Brazilian has finally acquired notoriety at Real during the past two seasons.
Militao has considerably filled the vacuum left by Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane at Real Madrid, excluding a few questionable errors that may be excused due to his young age, however, his legacy has yet to match theirs.
Militao has cemented his status as a competent defender following a Champions League-winning season, with a respectable 54 per cent tackle percentage and 135 tackles plus interceptions last season.
Militao is an all-around player who still has years to get even better if he isn’t already extremely excellent. He contributes decently to the attacking progression when most movements start, along with his darting shooting skill, and he is also the last man standing in case of a counter-attack.
Left Back – David Alaba
David Alaba’s versatility in playing in numerous positions and doing so so well that a new viewer would be unable to discern his real position is what separates the Austrian from all of Juventus’ competitors for this position. The defender won the Champions League with Real Madrid as a centre-back, but he also excelled as a left-back and occasionally as a midfielder with Bayern Munich.
He is at ease in high-pressure circumstances and has an eye for long balls that few other defenders possess. The player understands how to control spaces and use his towering size to keep opponents at bay, and these attributes have been on full show at Real Madrid.
Alaba controlled the left-back position with utter ease in the last game against Barcelona, switching positions frequently with Rudiger. Keeping him as a left-back in this XI simply allows him to employ his offensive abilities more effectively, which makes much more cooperative sense that Cuadrado on the right wing can do the same.