Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid starting lineup against Liverpool – Champions League final
The fateful day is upon us again as Real Madrid gear up to face Liverpool in the Champions League final for the 2021/22 season. Carlo Ancelotti has selected his best XI to face arguably the best team in Europe, hoping for a replay of the 2018 final.
Karim Benzema, wearing the captain’s armband, starts as the striker. He is the top scorer in the UCL this season with 15 goals and will be hoping to add to his tally tonight. The top assist provider of the campaign, Vinicius Jr, joins him on the left-wing.
Federico Valverde, on paper, starts as the right-winger, but will be everywhere on the flank, tirelessly running the channels alongside Luka Modric. Casemiro is the defensive midfielder, while Toni Kroos rounds off the lineup as the left central midfielder.
Dani Carvajal walked out injured in the first half of the Champions League final against Liverpool in 2018, and has been given another chance tonight, starting as the right-back. Ferland Mendy is his partner in crime, starting on the left.
The defensive trident, as he been so often this season, features Thibaut Courtois with the gloves. He is guarded by David Alaba and Eder Militao.
Official Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius
The current edition of the Real Madrid squad is full of young talents, who have shown remarkable potential in recent years.
Arda Guler is among the young players looking to make a mark in European football in the years to come.
The young Turk joined Real Madrid earlier this summer, rejecting many other European giants in the process.
Toni Kroos mentoring Guler at Real Madrid
Guler has not enjoyed the best of starts to his life at Santiago Bernabeu, as he is spending a brief time on the sidelines due to an injury.
However, Guler has not stopped working on his characteristics, as he looks to kickstart his Real Madrid career on a positive note.
To that end, the former Fenerbahce starlet is receiving some key support from one of Real Madrid’s midfield pillars in the form of Toni Kroos.
This is according to MARCA, which suggests that the German international is mentoring Guler in his early days at Santiago Bernabeu.
Kroos: huge ‘sponsor’ of Guler
The report highlights how Toni Kroos is a huge admirer of Arda Guler. The German had even heaped praise on the youngster from Turkey when he joined the club earlier in the summer.
Guler, therefore, is closely training with Kroos, whose years of experience, composure, and knowledge of football, could help the youngster grow at Santiago Bernabeu.
This fits in well with Carlo Ancelotti’s vision at Real Madrid, as the Italian boss wants youngsters to have room to grow, especially with guidance from some of the older guards in the team.
It is one of the key reasons Real Madrid wanted to stick to Kroos and Luka Modric, despite bringing in Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham in the summer.
Guler, therefore, has the stage set for him to start his Real Madrid career on a strong note. After impressing in training, the next step for the youngster is to make a promising debut, which is just around the corner.
