Real Betis Vs Real Madrid: The Starting 11

Before going into the next match I will rate the performance of players in the last game vs Barcelona in the El Clasico.

1. Benzema: 5/10, Poor game that has very less involvement, only misses and bad finishes, final third game play was better than previous game but still not up to the mark.
2. Vinicius: 9/10, Became the youngest to score in the El Clasico, had several good plays. The early yellow could have made him a little cautious but played his heart out and recovered 3-4 balls for the team.
3. Isco: 8.5/10, Good game and a few good runs, a great shot at goal which was stopped by the keeper. He was good in distribution as well, could have taken a few more chances but was a bit of communication problem with Marcelo.
4. Kroos: 8/10, Seemed the one to orchestrate the game. Great assist in the first goal and maintained composure throughout the game, even under pressure, coordinated well with attack and defence really well. 
5. Casemiro: 8.5/10, What a game! With an assist or goal he would have got to 10/10, pocketed Messi and didn't let him move freely, especially in the 2nd half, Several recoveries and great coordination with the defence and the the forwards. A complete game.
6. Valverde: 8/10, Good first half, maintained the dynamic attitude which he generally carries. He owned the right flank, didn't take the chance of going 1 on 1, rather opted to pass to the strikers on few occasions. His defensive and offensive work rate provided Carvajal room to make minor errors. 
7. Marcelo: 7.5/10, Did very well to be honest, no defensive lapses from his side, even crossing was better, a great last ditch tackle to dispossess Messi. 
8. Ramos: 7.5/10, Good play and maintained defensive cohesion, had some minor lapses but covered the gaps for Marcelo really well. Very good coordination with all supporting player.
9. Varane: 7/10, Was solid and prevented several chances, but lacked support from right. Apart from that did very well defensively.
10. Carvajal: 7/10, 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 great, made several key runs and challenges. Got the assist for the 2nd goal with a throw.
11. Courtois: 8.5/10, Overall great performance, no complains, became the first Madrid keeper to get clean sheets in both legs of el clasico since 1974/75.
12. Modric: 7/10, Did his bit after the substitution, didn't let the tempo fall and maintained the high work rate of Valverde. 
13. Mariano: 10/10, He had no time to impact the game coming on the 91st min but boy did he impact! Scored with his first touch.
14. Lucas Vazquez: 6/10, Came late but was good in his position and even got a found just outside the box in a very dangerous position. Showed the work rate for which everyone admires him.
15. ZZ: 8/10, Can anyone question today's play. First half was poor but a complete overhaul in the 2nd half.

La Liga Title Prediction: CLICK HERE

The upcoming match is against Real Betis away from home in the La liga match day 27. Real Betis are 14th on the leader-board and Real are 1st and just 1 point ahead of 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 and have to win at any cost.

Looking at the 

Injury list:

1. Asensio
2. Hazard

Only Asensio is injured. And he has not been practicing with the team. He has started individual workouts and shooting now. 
Hazard is going to a surgery for his injury.

Suspended:

1. None

Just recovered:

1. None

Practiced:

Asensio is on his recovery process.

Skipped Practice:

• None

Coach Comments:

• None.

Other Comments:

• None.

Squad Updates:

This is a crucial game for the league title being just 1 point away from the 2nd position.

In the goal Courtois will start, he was solid last game and he did not commit any errors. Though he had few bad games in the recent past, things are getting better for Courtois. 

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 been in bad form and occasional switching off has led to several goals and they should try to avoid any errors leading to such goals.

All the mid-fielders are available and the mid-filed had a field day, all of them played well. It is a very difficult decision for ZZ whom to pick. There has been lack of any consistency in the last few games but they have been creating several chances with no finishing. But taking the past game's rigor and current fitness level into considerations it is going to be Modric, Casemiro and Kroos in the middle. Valverde and James will be on the bench.

As Asensio and Hazard have been injured, Vinicius will start on the left and Isco will start in the centre as a false 9. Vinicius, Benzema, and Isco will start. And Jovic/Mariano, Rodrygo and Bale should be on the bench. 

So the formation would be 4 3 1 2.

So the final starting 11 will be:

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: The Starting 11

Before going into the next Match I will rate the performance of players in the last game vs Manchester City.

1. Benzema: 2/10, Very Poor game that has very less involvement, only misses and bad finishes, final third game play missing completely. And his pressing was also gone in the 2nd half.
2. Vinicius: 8.5/10, created a few good chances, missed a sure 1 on 1 chance by slipping but that's a certain miss, got substituted for no fault and referee was too harsh on him. Gave one assist and was the best attacking player of the day.
3. Isco: 7/10, Decent game and a goal to sum his play, was good in distribution as well, could have taken a few more but was a bit lazy, especially when the opponent defence was not that quick.
4. Modric: 7.5/10, did his bit, controlled the game, few chances were initiated, pressed better than all other mid-field players. 
5. Casemiro: 3/10, did all he was supposed to do but very poorly, a poor back pass lead to Ramos red card, casual on the ball and lost possession too many times and at times wrong passes to the defence. His poorest outing of the season.
6. Valverde: 6/10, good first half, lacked the dynamic attitude which he generally carries. He could not do the job of Kroos of controlling the game. Defensive work was fine but link up play with the forwards was missing and so fewer chances created by the team. 
7. Mendy: 8/10, did very well to be honest, no defensive lapses from his side Even crossing was better from his side.
8. Ramos: 4.5/10, was below par, with hardly any pressure he was committing fouls and first goal was his fault, should have marked better and should have got his head to the ball. There was slight nudge but for his experience it will be still counted as an error. Seemed lack of communication on occasions and gave enough space to Jesus. Got a red card but neither was his fault nor was that a red card offence, it was a clear dive and VAR should have seen that.
9. Varane: 7.5/10, Was solid and prevented several chances, but lacked support from right. Apart from that did very well defensively.
10. Carvajal: 5/10, defensively okay in the first half, could have done more with support up front, chemistry missing going forward. No real crosses. In the 2nd half went to horrible from okay, unwanted challenge leading to Penalty and the goal that made the difference.
11. Courtois: 8.5/10, overall good performance except the first goal, could have been slightly better. But a great outing.
12. Bale: 6/10, he tried some crosses but was not getting support in the centre. After the red card seemed lost.
13. Jovic: 4/10, seemed completely lost. A lot of it could be due to the red card but need to try harder to win possession back when off the ball.
14. Lucas Vazquez: 5/10, came late but was only caught napping in both attack and while trying to win the ball back.
15. ZZ: 6/10, Benched Kroos, which was leading to less chances created. Kept Benzema for full 90 mins, withdrew all the performing players for no real reason. No real change to influence the game, especially in the attack even when things were not working well.

The upcoming match is against Barcelona. the el Classico at home in the La liga match day 26. Barcelona are 1st on the leader-board and Real are 2 points behind them on the league table. After the loss to Manchester City their chances are slim in the Champions League this game is the most important game to have any chance in the league, Madrid can not take any risks and have to win at any cost.

Looking at the 

Injury list:

1. Asensio
2. Hazard
3. Mariano

Only Asensio is injured. And he has not been practicing with the team. He has started individual workouts and shooting now. 

Suspended:

1. Rodrygo

Just recovered:

1. None

Practiced:

Asensio is on his recovery process.

Skipped Practice:

None

Coach Comments:

• None.

Other Comments:

• ZZ is now focusing on the next games and is the right thing to do. He needs his strikers to start scoring goals. In my opinion they will try for a 1-0 win.

Squad Updates:

This is a crucial game for the league title being a 1-2 battle at the top, with no other cup in sight this should be taken with all seriousness.

In the goal Courtois will start, he was good last game but he did not commit many errors except the one leading to the goal. Though he had few bad games in the recent past, things are getting better for Courtois. 

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 been in bad form and occasional switching off has led to several goals and they should try to avoid any errors leading to such goals.

All the mid-fielders are available but it's been a poor outing in the past few games in terms of controlling the game. It is a very difficult decision for ZZ whom to pick. There has been lack of any consistency in the last few games but they have been creating several chances with no finishing. But taking the past game's rigor and current fitness level into considerations it is going to be Valverde, Casemiro and Kroos in the middle. Modric and James will be on the bench.

As Asensio and Hazard have been injured, Vinicius will start on the left and Isco will start on the right. Vinicius, Benzema, and Isco will start. And Jovic and Bale should be on the bench. 

So the formation would be 4 3 1 2.

So the final starting 11 will be:

Real Madrid vs Manchester City: The Starting 11

Before going into the next Match I will rate the performance of players in the last game vs Levante.

1. Benzema: 3/10, Only misses and bad finishes, final third game play missing.
2. Hazard: 4/10, created a few chances, missed a sure 1 on 1 chance, got injured again
3. Isco: 5/10, too much 1-2 passes and final third game play missing, need to release quicker. Good distribution outside the box.
4. Modric: 7/10, did his bit, created ample chances, could have pressed better for the goal, but was surely a wonder strike 
5. Casemiro: 8/10, did all he was supposed to do, took a yellow when required, made his presence felt in the attack as well, could have headed it home but missed.
6. Kroos: 6/10, good first half, lacked the precision in the second half and after the goal seemed lost. Seemed he was out of gas.
7. Marcelo: 7/10, did very well to be honest, some defensive lapses were there but with the amount of offensive positioning it is expected. Need to get better in crossing than this but hardly any forward is present for the crosses.
8. Ramos: 6/10, was below par, with hardly any pressure he was committing fouls and leading to errors. Seemed lack of communication on occasions.
9. Varane: 7/10, could have maintained the line to mark for offside in the winning goal. Apart from that did very well defensively.
10. Carvajal: 7/10, defensively good, could do more with support up front, chemistry missing going forward. Crosses were landing in no man's land or intercepted.
11. Courtois: 7/10, overall good performance except the goal, could have tried at least, he misjudged it seems for letting it go into the goal.
12. Valverde: 7/10, he tried mobilizing the team to return to the game but too late to get any impact.
13. Vinicius: 8/10, seemed much better than Hazard, should have given more time to create more impact.
14. Lucas Vazquez: 5/10, came late but was only caught napping in both attack and while trying to win the ball back.
15. ZZ: 6/10, Kept Benzema for full 90 mins, no real change to influence the game, especially in the attack even when things were not working well. Second half was really poor except for Vinicius trying to create some chances.

The upcoming match is against Manchester City at home in the first leg of round of 16 of Champions league. After the bad loss in La liga and losing 5 point of the possible 6 in the last week, Madrid is entering the crucial phase in the worst form of the season. Now they are 2 points behind the leaders Barcelona in La liga. Madrid needs to revive and can not take any risks this time.

Looking at the 

Injury list:

1. Asensio
2. Mariano
3. Bale

Only Asensio is injured. And he has not been practicing with the team. He has started individual workouts and shooting now. We hope his recovery is faster and soon he starts playing with the team.

Suspended:

1. None

Just recovered:

1. None

Practiced:

Asensio is on his recovery process.

Skipped Practice:

None

Coach Comments:

• We did all things right but could not do the most important thing of scoring.

Other Comments:

• ZZ is now focusing on the next games and is the right thing to do. 

Squad Updates:

This is a crucial game for the Champions league title being a knock-out game, with nothing to spare this should be taken with all seriousness.

In the goal Courtois will start, he was not great last game but he did not commit many errors except the one leading to the goal. Though he had few bad games in the recent past, things can only get better for Courtois and Real Madrid from here. 

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 been in good form with Mendy but occasional switching off has led to several goals and they should try to avoid any errors leading to such goals.

All the five mid-fielders are available but it's been a poor outing in the past few games in terms of controlling the game. It is a very difficult decision for ZZ whom to pick. There has been lack of any consistency in the last few games but they have been creating several chances. But taking the past game's rigor and current fitness level into considerations it is going to be Valverde, Casemiro and Kroos in the middle. Modric and Isco will be on the bench.

As Asensio and Hazard have been injured, Vinicius will start on the left and Bale will start on the right. Vinicius, Benzema, and Bale will start. And Jovic,  and Rodrygo should be on the bench. 

So the formation would be 4 3 3 after failing to capitalize the 4 4 2 in the past games.

So the final starting 11 will be:

Levante vs Real Madrid: The Starting 11

The upcoming match is against Levante away from home in the La liga match day 25. Levante are 13th on the leader-board and Real are top of the league. After the lost chance of maintaining the 3 point gap against Celta and with just 1 point separating them and Barcelona, Madrid has to go full throttle and is not going to take any risks this time.

Overall form looks good away from home for Real 

Looking at the 

Injury list:

1. Asensio
2. Mariano

Only Asensio is injured. And he has not been practicing with the team. He has started individual workouts now. We hope his recovery is faster and soon he starts playing with the team.

Suspended:

1. None, Mendy has 4 yellows and has a risk of suspension.

Just recovered:

1. None

Practiced:

Asensio is on his recovery process. Mariano and James are not with the team. Others are practicing with the team.

Skipped Practice:

None

Coach Comments:

• Marcelo is not to be blamed for the defensive worries.

Other Comments:

• Marcelo might play again as Mendy needs to play the next game in La liga vs Barcelona and is on 4 yellow cards.

Squad Updates:

This is a crucial game for the La liga title race, with only 1 point separating the top two.

In the goal Courtois will start, he was not great last game but he did not get any support from the defence, and was left open due to lapses. Though he had several good games in the past, things look definitely positive for Courtois and Real Madrid. 

Ramos and Varane will start as the center backs. Marcelo will start on the left and will provide rest to Mendy and option to be available for the el clasico and Carvajal will start on the right. So Marcelo, Ramos, Varane and Carvajal should start. Defence has been in good form but occasional switching off has led to several goals and from now on they will try to avoid any errors leading to such goals.

All the five mid-fielders are available but it's been a poor outing in the past few games in terms of controlling the game. It is a very difficult decision for ZZ whom to pick. One game Isco was great and Kroos was rested, now against Celta Kroos scored and Isco was rested and Modric played few unproductive minutes, there has been lack of any consistency. But taking the past game's rigor and current fitness level into considerations it is going to be Modric, Casemiro and Isco in the middle. Kroos and Valverde will be on the bench and should be seen as options vs Manchester City.

As Asensio has been injured and Hazard has now recovered, Hazard will start on the left. After having several blanks for Benzema, he will have to start and start firing soon. Hazard, Benzema, and Lucas Vazquez will start. And Vinicius and James should be on the bench. 

So the formation would be 4 3 3, with Lucas Vazquez and Hazard on the wings behind Benzema.

So the final starting 11 will be:

Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo: The Starting 11

The upcoming match is against Celta Vigo at home in the La liga match day 24. Celta are 17th on the leader-board and Real are top of the league. This is a chance for Real to extend the lead and as the gap at the top is very narrow, Madrid is not going to take any risks this time.

Looking at the 

Injury list:

1. Asensio
2. Mariano
3. James

Only Asensio is injured. And he has not been practicing with the team. He has started individual workouts now. We hope his recovery is faster and soon he starts playing with the team.

Suspended:

1. None, Mendy has 4 yellows and has a risk of suspension.

Just recovered:

1. Hazard

He has started practicing with the team for two weeks now but still a doubt to play as a starter.

Practiced:

Asensio is on his recovery process. Mariano and James are not with the team. Others are practicing with the team.

Skipped Practice:

None

Coach Comments:

• None.

Other Comments:

• This is a crucial game and the team had a very good outing in the last match after a hard fought win and need to improve to keep the spirits high.

Squad Updates:

This is a crucial game for the La liga title race.

In the goal Courtois will start and was announced as the winner of the La liga player of the month. He had several good games in the past, things look definitely very positive for Courtois and Real Madrid. 

Ramos and Varane will start as the center backs. Mendy will start on the left and might force an yellow card to make himself available for the el clasico and Carvajal will start on the right. So Mendy, Ramos, Varane and Carvajal should start. Defence has been in good form and will try to avoid any errors leading to the goals.

All the five super mid-fielders are doing great, Modric, Kroos, Valverde, Isco and Casemiro. It is a very difficult decision for ZZ. Last game Isco came on top of all and had a brilliant outing, at the same time Kroos had been rested. Taking the past game's rigor and current fitness level into considerations it is going to be Valverde, Casemiro and Kroos in the middle. Isco and Modric will be on the bench.

As Asensio has been injured and Hazard has just recovered, both would not start. After several changes and returns it will be Benzema, Vinicius and Bale to start. And Hazard, Jovic and Rodrygo should be on the bench. Hazard will be used for 15 to 20 minutes. BBH might get to play together after a long time.

So the formation would be 4 3 3, with Bale and Vinicius on the wings behind Benzema.

So the final starting 11 will be:

Osasuna vs Real Madrid: The Starting 11

The upcoming match is against Osasuna away from in the La liga match day 23. Osasuna are 11th on the leader-board and Real are top of the league. This is a chance for Real to return back to winning ways and as the gap at the top is very narrow, Madrid is not going to take any risks this time.

Looking at the 

Injury list:

1. Asensio

Only Asensio is injured. ANd he has not been practicing with the team. He has started individual workouts now. We hope his recovery is faster and soon he starts playing with the team.

There were few players out with flu like Casemiro, Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez.

Suspended:

1. None

Just recovered:

1. Bale and Hazard

Both have started practicing with the team but still a doubt to play as starters.

Practiced:

Asensio is on his recovery process. Others are practicing with the team.

Skipped Practice:

None

Coach Comments:

• None.

Other Comments:

• This is a crucial game and the team had a very bad outing in the last match and need to improve to keep the spirits high.

Squad Updates:

This is a crucial game for the La liga title race.

In the goal Courtois will start and will start fresh after the rest during the Copa del Rey game, he had several good games in the past, things look definitely very positive for Courtois and Real Madrid. Areola was very poor in the goal during the Copa del Rey game and was one of the week links but with Courtois back things should be better.

Ramos and Varane will start as the center backs. Mendy will start on the left after the rest during the last game and Carvajal will start on the right. So Mendy, Ramos, Varane and Carvajal should start. Defence has been in good form except the poor outing in the last game. Though the whole defence will be changed, Marcelo and Nacho were very poor last time out and with the changes it is expected to prevent the usual errors those have led to the goals in the past games.

All the five super mid-fielders are doing great, Modric, Kroos, Valverde, Isco and Casemiro. It is a very difficult decision for ZZ. Taking the past game's rigor and current fitness level into considerations it is going to be Modric, Casemiro and Kroos in the middle. James and Valverde will be on the bench. And Isco will start in the attack.

As Asensio has been injured, Bale and Hazard have just recovered, both would not start. After several injuries and returns it will be Benzema, Vazquez and Isco to start. And Bale, Jovic and Vinicius should be on the bench. 

So the formation would be 4 3 2 1, with Isco and Vazquez behind Benzema.

So the final starting 11 will be:

Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad: The Starting 11

The upcoming match is against Real Sociedad at home in the Copa del Rey quarter final. As this is a knock out tie and with the new format there is no 2nd leg Madrid is not going to take any risks this time out.

Looking at the 

Injury list:

1. Asensio

 Asensio has been injured for a long time now. And has not been practicing with the team but has started individual workouts now. We hope his recovery is faster and soon he starts playing with the team.

Suspended:

1. None

Just recovered:

1. Bale
2. Hazard
3. Rodrygo

Practiced:

Asensio continued his recovery processes. Others are practicing with the team.

Skipped Practice:

None

Coach Comments:

• Defence has been doing good and is now our strength.

Other Comments:

• This is a crucial game after the Madrid Derby, Hazard and Bale might get some time to play.

Squad Updates:

This is a crucial game for the Copa del Rey title race.

In the goal Areola will start and provide rest to Courtois, he too had some good games in the past, things look definitely very positive for Areola and Real Madrid.

Ramos and Varane will start as the center backs. Marcelo will start on the left and Carvajal will start on the right.So Marcelo, Ramos, Varane and Carvajal should start. Defence has been in good form and is expected to prevent the occasional errors those have led to the goals in the past games.

All the five super mid-fielders are doing great, Modric, Kroos, Valverde, Isco and Casemiro. It is a very difficult decision for ZZ. Taking the past game's rigor and current fitness level into considerations it is going to be Valverde, Modric and Kroos in the middle. Isco and James will be on the bench.

As Asensio has been injured and the attacking needs to be in order after several injuries, Benzema, Rodrygo and Vinicius should start. And Brahim, Jovic and Lucas Vazquez should be on the bench. Hazard should get some time during the 2nd half after his recovery.

So the formation would be 4 3 3, with Rodrygo and Vinicius on the flanks and switching during the game.

So the final starting 11 will be:


Update: Vinicius replaces Bale in the starting 11, Nacho comes in for Carvajal and Casemiro is replaced by Modric.