Real Madrid host Manchester City on Wednesday night in the Champions League, in what has been billed as one of the matches of the season. Madrid enter this mouthwatering clash on a sour note as they lost their league game over the weekend against Levante.
The La Liga giants will have to be on top of their game if they are to get a good result as City have lost just twice in their last twelve games in all competitions. The last time these two sides faced each other was in 2016 when Madrid won the game 1-0.
Let’s take a look at the possible Real Madrid lineup for the game against Manchester City.
Team News
Madrid suffered a big blow ahead of this crucial tie as Eden Hazard suffered an injury in the loss to Levante, and has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
The Belgian joins Marco Asensio on the sidelines and will be sorely missed. Gareth Bale is a doubt for this game after missing the last outing due to an illness.
PREDICTED REAL MADRID LINEUP VS MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois should start in goal once again for Madrid.
Defence
Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane are surely going to start as the two centre-backs for this game, while Spaniard Dani Carvajal should start at right-back in the Real Madrid lineup.
Marcelo had a good game against Levante, but he may be replaced by Ferland Mendy in the left-back position for this crucial game.
Midfield
Zidane has a few choices to make in midfield.
Casemiro and Toni Kross will surely start, with the former playing in his deep role and the latter as the left-sided midfielder in the Real Madrid lineup. It will be a toss-up between Luka Modric and Federico Valverde in midfield, but the latter could make it to this game thanks to his energy, work-rate, and passing.
Isco is another option for Zidane in midfield as well.
Attack
Hazard’s injury is a huge loss for Zidane. We could see Isco move from the right flank to the left for this game, linking up with Karim Benzema, who will start up top in the Real Madrid lineup. It will be interesting to see if the Madrid manager brings back Bale to the team if the Welshman is fit.
If he isn’t, Lucas Vazquez or James Rodriguez could play on the opposite wing.
