Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid starting lineup against Barcelona
With the league starting to heat up, Real Madrid have the chance to gain some psychological advantage over Barcelona tonight as they host them at the Santiago Bernabeu for the Copa del Rey semi-finals first leg.
Carlo Ancelotti has lined up his troops in a 4-3-3, with Thibaut Courtois at the base as the goalkeeper. The Belgian is guarded by a back-four headlined by Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao in central defence.
Nacho and Daniel Carvajal have the duty to provide width from the back.
Still struggling with injury trouble, Aurelien Tchouameni starts from the bench. Eduardo Camavinga takes his compatriot’s place in defensive midfield, flanked by Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Karim Benzema spearheads the attack as the no. 9, while Federico Valverde has been given the nod to start on the right-wing over Marco Asensio. Vinicius Jr wraps up the starting XI on the left-wing.
📋✅ Our starting 𝗫𝗜 🆚 @FCBarcelona! #CopaDelRey pic.twitter.com/KC7uBepbAQ
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 2, 2023
Confirmed Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Modric, Camavinga, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius
As Real Madrid look to restart the campaign following the end of the international break, all focus will be on the upcoming El Clasico in Copa del Rey on April 5.
However, before they take on their arch-rivals for a fourth time this year, Real Madrid must see off the challenge from Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday.
Given Barcelona’s 12-point advantage at the top of the table, La Liga appears to be a lost cause for Real Madrid right now. But that is no excuse for Carlo Ancelotti’s men to appear complacent, as they look to push for a late title charge.
However, heading into this contest, three Real Madrid players proceed with caution as they are running the risk of missing out on the next league game against Villarreal due to yellow cards.
The three players in question are Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Carvajal, and Dani Ceballos. All three of these players have picked up four yellow cards in La Liga this term. Therefore, picking up another booking against Valladolid will rule them out in the next game.
Camavinga, in particular, has been a vital part of the Real Madrid squad since the turn of the year, impressing onlookers with his performances and versatility.
Carvajal, too, is a critical option at right-back and his experience could go a long way in helping Real Madrid end the league campaign on a positive note. Not to mention, the club lack the services of a reliable alternative, which has led to links with Reece James this coming summer.
Ceballos, on the other hand, has been one of the emerging stars this year. The midfielder’s performances have been excellent lately, and he would not want to lose any momentum by picking up a suspension ahead of the important Villarreal game next week.
