Real Madrid Vs Eibar: The Starting 11

The upcoming match is against Eibar at home in the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium in the match day 29 in the La Liga. The last Real Madrid game was against Celta which was a good game despite having to defend on several occasions, it was a good win after some dubious decisions.

The team rating for the match against Celta can be found here: Team Rating

Currently Real are a recovering side, with few regulars out but need to win at any cost to remain in the title race. 

Earlier the away game was a 1-3 Win for Real. 

Looking at the

Injury list:

1. Hazard

Suspended:

1. None

Just recovered:

1. Lucas Vazquez
2. Ramos
3. Mariano
4. Odriozola
5. Carvajal

Practiced:

The rest of the players are available for selection. 

Skipped Practice:

• None

Coach Comments:

• Zidane: "The complete game, we interpret it well. We started well, strong with possession. We have been good with the ball. The first half was spectacular, the penalty was the goal we conceded. Fouls are part of football. Celta are a very good team."

Other Comments:

• Nacho: "We're very happy with the win. It's never easy to play at Balaidos. We're very happy with the victory though. We managed to go 2 goals up and we sadly conceded but we played well and got the win." 

Squad Updates:

This will be the Thirty Ninth game of the season and Real have been really inconsistent in the games and so has been the results, they have had 23 wins, 7 Draws and 8 losses. In the last few games except the last two, the performance has been poor especially in attack and with this recovering squad it is not making the run easier.

Eibar is a good attacking side and are good in the defense, so Real will need to be careful in both departments and be ready for their counters.

In the goal Courtois will start, he has been in a good form. He has supported the defense really well but has not received the same from the team and more so with so many injuries in the defense.

Mendy should start on the left. As Ramos is back after surgery, he should start. Nacho should get the nod ahead for the right back and Varane will start as a center back. Carvajal is now back but might play only as a substitute as he lacks game time. So Mendy, Ramos, Varane and Nacho should start. Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez and Militao should be available as substitutes.

Modric has been a bit slow for last few games but was always in control and last two games were great. Same goes with Kroos, who has been exceptional but as Kroos is injured he will rest and only Modric should start. So, Marcelo, Casemiro and Modric should start. Isco, Arribas and Blanco should start from the bench. 

The forwards have been poor all season, they have been wasting so many chances in front of the goal.  Hazard is out and Vinicius should start on the left, being good in the last game. With Rodrygo playing well, he should get his chance ahead of Asensio, even though he got a goal. And Benzema should start upfront. There is a high chance that Asensio gets a nod ahead and Vinicius starts as a substitute. 

As there are 5 substitutions available, ZZ should think for more rotations in the second half especially taking into consideration the team's fatigue and injuries for the next game's importance.

The probable substitutions will be: 

Vinicius > Rodrygo

Modric > Hugo Duro

Ramos > Militao

Asensio > Lucas Vazquez

Marcelo > Isco

So the formation would be 4 3 3.

The most probable kit to be used for the game will be the home kit!!!

So the final starting 11 will be:

Kroos might come as a Sub

Ramos OUT <> Lucas Vazquez IN

Lucas Vazquez comes as Right Back and Nacho as Centre Back.

Eibar Vs Real Madrid: The Starting 11

The upcoming match is against Eibar away from home in the La liga match day 14. The last Real Madrid game was against Athletic Bilbao which was great result after a tough fight till the end.

The team rating for the match against Athletic can be found here: Team Rating

This is one of the important league matches of the season as there is no room at the top. Real have no option but to win this. Eibar has not won a single match at home this season (0W,4D,3L).

Last year this fixture was a 0-4 Win.

Looking at the

Injury list:

1. None

Suspended:

1. None, Casemiro is back from suspension.

Just recovered:

1. Hazard
2. Mariano
3. Jovic
4. Ødegaard

Practiced:

The rest of the players are available for selection. 

Skipped Practice:

• None

Coach Comments:

• We should’ve been calmer after Raul Garcia got sent off, we were too hasty, trying to score faster.

Other Comments:

• The squad is almost fully fit.

Squad Updates:

This will be the Twentieth game of the season and Real have been inconsistent in their performances, they have 11 wins, 3 Draws and 5 losses. And in the last few of games the performance levels have improved but in the last game even against 10 men we suffered a lot. Goal scoring is still not sharp. We had 18 shots of which only three goals is a sad statistics.

Eibar has a okay attack but a good defense. So, Real will need to be sharper in the attack.

In the goal Courtois will start, he has been in good form now and his poor form is in the past. He has shown signs of improvement in the last four games, which is very positive for the team. 

Mendy will start on the left. Ramos and Varane will start as the center backs. And Carvajal will start on the right. So Mendy, Ramos, Varane and Carvajal should start. Defense has been in fine form for last three games. They need to be well coordinated against the attack that is sharp.

Modric has been amazing and is sure to start but might get to rest this game. Mid field has the control back in the last few games, except the last game where too many passes were mis-directed. Real has been creative and controlling well in the midfield. As Casemiro is back after suspension Valverde, Casemiro and Kroos should start. Modric, Ødegaard and Isco will start from the bench.

The forwards have been better in the last three games but they have been wasteful in front of the goal. They have been creating chances all season but not finishing them. Hazard may be available on the bench, but without match fitness  Vinicius should start on the left, Benzema upfront and Rodrygo on the right to give Lucas Vazquez some rest to recharge. So, Lucas Vazquez, Hazard, Jovic and Asensio should start from the bench.

As there are 5 substitutions available, ZZ should think for more rotations in the second half especially taking into consideration that the team's fitness.

The probable substitutions will be: 

Vinicius > Hazard/Asensio

Valverde > Ødegaard/Modric

Kroos > Isco/Valverde

Mendy > Marcelo

Rodrygo > Lucas Vazquez/Asensio

So the formation would be 4 3 3.

The most probable kit to be used for the game will be the home kit!!!

So the final starting 11 will be:

As Vinicius is injured at the last moment, Jovic should start in his place.

Real Madrid Vs Eibar: The Starting 11

Before going into the next match I will rate the performance of players in the last game vs Real Betis.

1. Benzema: 3/10, Very poor game, even with a goal scored from penalty his rating is at 3 speaks a lot about his game, with any other coach he would not even make the squad, his performance was that bad. His wrong and sloppy pass led to the goal and the defeat. 
2. Vinicius: 7/10, Was not great but seemed like creating chances and working hard to provide some options. Though his usual hunger was missing to be fair, he could do much better.
3. Lucas Vazquez: 4/10, Very poor performance, tried so many crosses not even a single good one, fullbacks will cross better than him. He should have been taken off at half time but ZZ played him full 90 mins. 
4. Kroos: 5/10, Seemed the one to orchestrate the game but was not able to create chances and was off in his passing as well. Gave away balls in wrong positions and too many times. 
5. Casemiro: 6/10, What a downgrade from last game, seemed like his desire to control the ball was not there, was off position so many times and was unable to sync well with the non existent attack or the defence. Too many ball losses for his role, though tried to improve with going forward but not a great game.
6. Modric: 8/10, Good game but not enough to prevent the goals  maintained the tempo and controlled well but there was no support in the final third. Did very well clearing a ball off the goal line.
7. Marcelo: 6/10, Did okay but did not put the effort, till he was on the pitch prevented few easy chances. Seemed totally lacking inspiration like most of the players. 
8. Ramos: 5/10, Always caught off guard and in wrong positions, lacked the winning mentality and the desire. Awful clearance leading to the first goal.
9. Varane: 7/10, Was solid and prevented several chances, but lacked support from right. Apart from that did very well defensively.
10. Militao: 5/10, defensively not so good in the first half, could have done much more with support up front, chemistry missing going forward. No real crosses. In the 2nd half went from okay to bad.
11. Courtois: 8/10, Overall good performance, first goal was a wonder strike little could be done but in the 2nd goal should have covered better but not his fault at all.
12. Valverde: 7/10, Did his bit after the substitution, didn't let the tempo fall and maintained the high work rate. 
13. Mariano: 6/10, He had less time to impact the game he tried to score though missed few difficult ones..
14. Mendy: 7/10, Came in the 2nd half but was good in his position and even hit the woodwork. Showed the work rate for which everyone admires him. Should have started the game.
15. ZZ: 4/10, Bad starting line up, no chemistry among the players, lack of desire to win. From okay game kept getting worse, really bad substitutions except for Mendy. No point keeping Benzema in the mid-field or Lucas Vazquez playing the whole game. He has taken the blame and rightly so.

La Liga Title Prediction: CLICK HERE

The upcoming match is against Eibar at home in the La liga match day 28. Eibar are 16th on the leader-board and Real are 2nd and 2 points behind Barcelona on the league table. This game is one of the most important game to have any chance in the league, Madrid can not take any risks at all and have to win at any cost if they want to remain in contention, more so with football coming back after a break.

Real Madrid had won 0-4 away at Eibar with two penalties in the first leg.

Looking at the 

Injury list:

1. Nacho
2. Jovic

Suspended:

1. None

Just recovered:

1. Asensio
2. Bale
3. Hazard

Practiced:

Bale had some issues but is now back for full training with the team.

Skipped Practice:

• None

Coach Comments:

• He takes the blame for the shock loss against Real Betis, which has caused worry to the title challenge. Now ready for the 11 finals. 

Other Comments:

• Now we depend on Barcelona to drop points, they have more difficult games but them have been winning by 1 goal margin, so we will have to wait and watch.
• This home game is going to be behind closed doors for the first time.

Squad Updates:

This is a crucial game for the league title as with 2 points gap it is still under sight, it can not get wider if we need to wait for Barcelona's mistakes.

In the goal Courtois will start, should be a no-brainer.

Ramos and Varane will start as the center backs. Mendy will start on the left and will provide better defensive option and Carvajal will start on the right. So Mendy, Ramos, Varane and Carvajal should start. Defence has to be particularly alert, there has been occasional lapses and as play is resuming after 2.5 months, it will be a test for them.

All the mid-fielders are available but all are not dependable on most days, too much problem in consistency. It is a very difficult decision for ZZ to pick the three. There has been lack of any consistency in the last few games but looking at the next game, it is going to be Modric, Casemiro and Valverde in the middle. Kroos, Isco and James will be on the bench.

As Asensio and Hazard have returned in prime shape, all are available now. So it should also be a tough decision. Ideally it should be HBA, Hazard, Benzema and Asensio. And Bale, Vinicius and Rodrygo should be on the bench.

As now 5 substitutions are available, this is a great time to rotate the squad for ZZ.

The probable substitutions will be: 

Asensio > Bale

Hazard > Vinicius

Mendy > Marcelo

Modric > Kroos

Valverde > Isco

Benzema > Rodrygo

Ramos > Militao

So the formation would be 4 3 3.

So the final starting 11 will be:

Eibar Vs Real Madrid: The Starting 11

The upcoming match is against Eibar away from home, currently they are at 14th and Real are at 2nd on the leader-board. With a draw in the last match Madrid is not going to take any risks this time again.

Standings

First I would like to see the 

Injury list:

1. Asensio
2. Nacho

Suspended:

1.     None 

Just recovered:

1. Lucas Vazquez
2. James
3. Bale

Practiced:

 Bale, James and Marcelo are not training with the team.

Skipped Practice:

None

Coach Comments:

• Nothing specific

Other Comments:

• Marcelo might have a small injury and might miss.
• Carvajal: Commenting that no one doubts the commitment of Bale and James, he would also leave early during matches if not playing, it doesn't mean any less commitment.

Squad Updates:

This is a crucial game for La Liga title race, with all team neck to neck. With Marcelo being slightly injured Mendy, Ramos, Varane and Carvajal will start, more so with the great work over the past games.

In the goal Courtois will start, with clean sheets in the last 4 games, things look positive.

As Modric has not played the full 90 minutes in the last game, I would prefer him to start,  so it is going to be Casemiro, Kroos and Modric. Isco will be seen as a substitute for Kroos and Valverde for Modric or Casemiro depending on the score line.

As Bale and James have not been playing it is tough to say if they will start but Rodrygo having played full 90 minutes should be rested. So, Hazard, Benzema and Bale or Lucas Vazquez should start. And will have Vinicius and Jovic as substitutes depending on the work rate.

So the final starting 11 will be:

Update: Lucas Vazquez to play instead of Bale, as he is not practicing with the team.