Real Madrid will put it all on the line on Saturday night at the Olympic Stadium in Seville against hated rivals Barcelona in the 2025 Copa del Rey Final, which is starting to look more and more like Real's best - and maybe even only - chance at securing a trophy in what could be Carlo Ancelotti's final season at the helm.
Artificial and inane referee controversy aside, Real Madrid have a lot to prove to the world this weekend against Barcelona, who have embarrassed Los Merengues not once but twice in the 2024/25 season.
Ancelotti has to get his tactics right in this one, and that starts with putting the right players in the XI. Here are three non-negotiable starters for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona in the Copa del Rey Final.
LW Vinicius Junior
Kylian Mbappe should start for Real Madrid this Saturday now that he is healthy after a minor injury in the loss to Arsenal, but I don't consider him as much of a must-start for Los Merengues as Vinicius Junior.
Whether it was the Clasico in 2019/20 to win LaLiga or any number of Champions League knockout matches in the 2021/22 and 2023/24 seasons, Vinicius Junior is the current player in the Real Madrid squad who is most likely to make a big difference when it's all on the line on the grandest stage.
There's nothing bigger than a Clasico with a prestigious trophy on the line, and for as inconsistent as Vini Jr. has been this season, most of Real's best games have come when the Brazilian superstar is at his best. That goes for the Copa del Rey semifinals against Real Sociedad, too. Lately, we've seen more good than bad from Vinicius, who was one of the bright spots in tough 1-0 wins over Athletic Club and Getafe.
RB Fede Valverde
I don't think there's a player who needs to start for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona more than Fede Valverde, and while his best position is obviously in the midfield, Real are going to have to start him at right back.
Whereas Lucas Vazquez once played a key role in a Clasico in the 2020/21 season (even though he got injured in that game), the makeshift veteran right back has declined so irrecoverably that he is now the biggest liability in the Real Madrid XI when he does start - and that's saying something since more than half of Real's back line isn't at a starting level.
Vazquez can't play against Barcelona again, otherwise Ballon d'Or favorite Raphinha is going to sautee him until he's caramelized. Fede isn't a right back by trade, but he's been exceptional in this position during the 2024/25 season and is the one guy Real Madrid can trust back there to not lose them an important game.
LB Ferland Mendy
Kylian Mbappe and Dani Ceballos both have cases here, but I can't help but think that Ferland Mendy needs to start for Real Madrid, even though the much-maligned left back only just returned from an injury.
There's no point in pretending that Mendy is a foolproof starter for Real, because he lost his starting job to Fran Garcia for a reason. But time is starting to prove that Fran is an even less adequate option than Mendy, because whereas Mendy struggles to attack due to his poor final ball, Fran's final ball isn't all that better - and he's a worse athlete and a much worse defender.
Fran is going to get ripped to pieces by Lamine Yamal, the best dribbler in world football with the mind of a supercomputer on the pitch. Yamal is a phenom who makes mincemeat out of weak, unconfident one-on-one defenders like Fran.
Mendy, meanwhile, has a track record of winning LaLiga and Champions League titles, shutting down great players and athletes on the wing. I'd rather take a chance on him keeping Yamal in check than going into the game knowing that Fran vs. Yamal will be akin to Real Madrid playing a full man down.