Real Madrid News
Real Madrid duo in line to start for Brazil against Switzerland – report
Brazil will look to take a step towards the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar when they face Switzerland later today. Having won their opening fixture against Serbia, Tite & co. will be gunning for all three points again.
However, the Selecao will have to do so without their most important player in Neymar, who suffered an ankle injury in the opening game against Serbia.
There have been a lot of speculations about who will replace Neymar in Brazil’s starting XI against Switzerland today. Real Madrid starlet Rodrygo was tipped as a favourite to do so, with manager Tite liking the young forward.
However, as per MARCA, that is unlikely to be the case. The report states that while the other two Real Madrid players in the Brazil squad – Vinicius Jr and Eder Militao – are in line to start, Rodrygo will once again be a substitute.
The 21-year-old had made his World Cup debut coming off the bench versus Serbia and will once again have to make do with a similar role instead of replacing Neymar in the lineup.
As for Vinicius, he was one of Brazil’s main protagonists in the win against Serbia and will have an even bigger role to play today in the absence of Neymar.
Militao did not make an appearance in the game against Serbia. However, an injury to Danilo has opened the space for the Real Madrid defender to get the nod at right-back, ahead of former Barcelona star Dani Alves.
As to who replaces Neymar in the side, the report indicates that Manchester United’s Fred is in line for a starting berth.
In that case, he would likely occupy the pivot position in midfield alongside club teammate and former Real Madrid ace Casemiro, with Lucas Paqueta taking up Neymar’s position higher up the pitch.
So, it seems like two out of the three Real Madrid players in the Brazil squad will be in the lineup today, but Rodrygo will once again have to settle for a place on the bench.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder trained away from the group last week, but has no injury – report
With the international break underway, several Real Madrid players have been called up for national team assignments. The stars who have not travelled for international duty have continued to work at the club’s Valdebebas training facility to prepare for the restart.
Toni Kroos is one such player who has remained in Madrid, having retired from international football back in 2021.
However, there had been concerns growing around the 33-year-old’s physical condition as he regularly did indoor work last week and was not spotted in group training with his teammates.
Now, Sergio Quirante has come up with an update on Kroos’ situation, stating that even though the midfielder largely did individual work inside the facilities over the last week, he is fine and has no injuries.
Taking advantage of the international break, the former Bayern Munich superstar is understood to have gone through an individual program to prepare for the final, decisive stretch of the 2022/23 season.
Kroos not being injured comes as a big positive for Real Madrid, ahead of important games against Real Valladolid and Barcelona within the first five days of April.
The rest of the Real Madrid midfield contingent – Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Dani Ceballos – are all away on international duties and could return with some fatigue from the travel.
So, it is important that Kroos is fully fit and ready to go as Real Madrid look to cut down the gap to the top of the table in La Liga and also make it to the finals of the Copa del Rey by overturning a first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Kroos has played 37 matches this season, chipping in with two goals and five assists in the process. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it is still unclear whether he will renew or hang up his boots.
