Real Madrid, the supergiants of Spanish football, are going through a massive crisis following the egress of iconic Cristiano Ronaldo who has left for Juventus this summer. Los Blancos have failed to find the net in the past four games and lost to minnows like CSKA Moscow in the Champions League followed by a 1-0 defeat to Alaves in La Liga before entering the international break. They suffered a 3-0 humiliation to Sevilla three weeks back but must script a comeback this weekend against Levante at Santiago Bernabeu before Julen Lopetegui’s future as Madrid boss gets further jeopardised.
Team News
The Champions of Europe would continue to miss out on right-back Daniel Carvajal who is unavailable for a while with a calf injury. They, meanwhile, have suffered a further blow a few days back that will see star striker Karim Benzema remain sidelined for this tie due to a hamstring strain. But the return of Isco and Marcelo must be a breath of fresh air for the under-fire manager who is desperate to end this barren run and get back to winning ways.
Formation
Lopetegui, who has succeeded Zinedine Zidane as the new Los Blancos gaffer, did not alter much regarding team set-up. He too has preferred a 4-3-3 pattern so far, but the gaffer should be more flexible with his strategy and tactics to grind out results defying the odds.
Defence
Real Madrid have a couple of top-notch custodians in Keylor Navas and Thibaut Courtois with the latter being preferred in league games since completing a summer move from Chelsea. The Belgium ‘number 1’ is set to retain his place between the sticks against Levante and must ensure a clean sheet to claim a favourable outcome.
Marcelo’s return from injury should see Nacho being shifted to the right-back slot over youngster Álvaro Odriozola. The 28-year-old Spaniard was deputising for the Brazilian in a makeshift left-back role but should now be restored down the right-hand side until Carvajal recovers from his injury. Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos, their prime centre-back duo, have not lived up to the expectations yet this season. But the occasion against Granotas is massively significant for the backline who must maintain calmness, composure and concentration in deep defence.
Midfield
Lopetegui has a solid midfield consisting of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric who, surprisingly, have been far from their best in the past couple of months. Kroos, in particular, is lacking in the creative aspect of his game whereas Modric, FIFA Men’s Player of the Year 2018, is struggling to hold possession and orchestrate the show from the middle of the park. The ongoing break must have helped the trio, as well as the manager, to work on their flaws and find out what needs to be done to regain their standing in the La Liga table.
Attack
Mariano, who has been bought back from Lyon this summer, should lead the line in the absence of the injured Karim Benzema. However, the gaffer must feel less-stressed following the return of Isco who is now back in contention and likely to reclaim his place down the left flank ahead of Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio. Gareth Bale had a history of injury woes but must shake off all the problems and step up in the absence of Ronaldo to emerge as Real’s main man upfront.
