Real Madrid will be desperate to return to winning ways when they host Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Sunday night. Los Blancos will come into this contest on the back of a disappointing midweek defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League. Therefore, the home crowd will demand a positive response from their players when the Catalans come to town this weekend.
Zinedine Zidane is expected to set up his team in a 4-3-3 formation and will be inclined to make a few changes for this clash versus Quique Setien’s men.
4-3-3 Real Madrid Predicted Lineup Vs Barcelona
Defence
Thibaut Courtois will keep his place in goal for the Madrid side despite failing to keep a clean sheet in each of his past four starts across all competitions. Sergio Ramos will continue to play alongside Raphaël Varane at the heart of Zidane’s defence. It would take a monumental display from them to keep the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi quiet on Sunday night.
Dani Carvajal will operate in the right-back position while Marcelo returns to feature on the other side as the left-back. Both Madrid full-backs will have their hands full as they attempt to stop the Barca wide players from causing problems on the break.
Midfield
Zidane might choose to go with a midfield comprised of Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Federico Valverde for this heavyweight showdown versus the Catalan giants. The talented trio will focus their attention on retaining the ball and providing adequate protection for their defenders.
Luka Modrić has played a lot of football in recent weeks so he could be rested for this weekend’s clash at the Spanish capital. However, he might get a chance to make an impact off the bench if required.
Attack
Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema and Isco will make up the Madrid frontline up top. The attacking trio will hope to more productive than they were against the Citizens in midweek. Isco managed to get his name on the scoresheet in that game which will give him a boost ahead of this highly anticipated edition of El Clasico.
Luka Jovic and Gareth Bale will have to be content with a place on the bench.
