Real Madrid will resume their rivalry with Liverpool as they welcome them to Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen. Los Blancos made a spectacular comeback in the first leg at Anfield as they fought from 2-0 down to defeat the Reds with a phenomenal scoreline of 5-2, so we can expect fierce competition in this midweek European contest.
Carlo Ancelotti would probably opt for a 4-3-3 formation and is expected to make a few changes to the starting XI. Karim Benzema will return to lead the line down the middle as Rodrygo drops to the bench, while Vinicius Junior remains a guaranteed starter for the Madrid giants.
4-3-3 Real Madrid Predicted XI Vs Liverpool
Defence
Thibaut Courtois will continue to operate in between the sticks for the Madrid outfit after conceding a goal in his last league outing against Espanyol. Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger will function at the heart of Madrid‘s backline as they focus on stopping the opposition from creating too many chances on the counter.
Dani Carvajal will hope to give a good account of himself as the right-back while Nacho Fernandez tries to put in a good showing as a makeshift left-back. Ancelotti will give both of them the license to get forward at every chance they get.
Ferland Mendy will have to be content for a place on the bench as he offers cover for the defensive positions. However, David Alaba is expected to sit this one out due to a thigh problem.
Midfield
Toni Kroos, Aurelien Tchouameni and Luka Modric will keep their places to play in the midfield for Ancelotti’s side as they look to dominate the game at the centre of the park and create enough chances to win this contest on the road. Kroos and Modric will be the main playmakers for the Spanish club in the opponent’s half
Dani Ceballos and Eduardo Camavinga will make up the numbers on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the second half if needed.
Attack
Vinicius Junior will try to put in an influential performance on the left wing, while Federico Valverde looks to work his socks off on the right flank.
As mentioned earlier, Karim Benzema will spearhead Ancelotti’s attack on his own up top. The French striker would be hungry to get his name on the scoresheet when he laces up to face off against the Merseyside defenders.
Marco Asensio and Rodrygo will be named on the bench as they wait for their chance to impress in the final quarter of the contest if Real Madrid are in need of a goal by then.
