After the suspension fiasco of last week’s La Liga clash against Celta de Vigo, Real Madrid will get back to work after this extended break. They will visit Osasuna, the last-placed team on the table. While not necessarily a threat, the Basque team could profit from their rival’s relaxation. With one eye on the return of the UEFA Champions League next week, the team has to fine-tune their accuracy ahead of that.
Preferred Lineup: 4-3-3
Zinedine Zidane is getting good news every week now, as his infirmary is clearing out and important men will be available shortly. This couldn’t come at a better time since the addition of the UCL and the international breaks will continue to force rotations. The more men are healthy and ready, the more the coach can experiment and refresh his starting 11 every week.
GK: Keylor Navas
His previous game had him earning another clean sheet. Now that Pepe, Carvajal, and Marcelo are all available, the defense can come together and continue to help Navas in keeping that zero.
Defense
RB: Dani Carvajal
Danilo had really shown some improvement versus Real Sociedad, yet now his competitor is healthy. Though there’s still a chance the Brazilian’s good showing could be rewarded, if Carvajal is completely ready, it’ll be hard.
CB: Raphaël Varane
Pepe is healthy and this would be a very good chance to get a feel for what his form is like. Varane has the better odds of playing Napoli. This could go either way, still, it feels like the Frenchman will play at least a half.
CB: Sergio Ramos
The captain must be aware of the increasing difficulty of the season now that we’re entering the decisive months. He must keep being the leader on and off the pitch to keep his teammates hopeful about their title chances.
LB: Marcelo
Like Varane, his presence in the European competition is almost guaranteed. This could give Nacho a chance to start despite all eight defenders being at the boss’ disposal. The Brazilian still has more favorable odds.
Midfield
RCM: Luka Modrić
He’ll have to be the creative force of the team, as he’s used to by now. His fellow countryman will certainly give him a hand, as they’re both very similar in the way they move forward to the opponent’s box.
CM: Casemiro
Despite being at the bottom of the table, Osasuna managed to score three goals at home when Sevilla visited. This means that their midfielders and attackers do manage to create some opportunities. The #14 will be key in stopping those.
LCM: Mateo Kovačić
Toni Kroos was supposed to pay his suspension last Sunday. Unless otherwise arranged, his suspension would move to this upcoming clash. With the surge of available men, Isco, James, and Asensio will all fight Kovačić for this spot.
Attack
RW: Lucas Vázquez
Gareth Bale is expected to return very soon, meaning Lucas will have to add a top competitor for a starting role. If the BBC is healthy, it’s hard to imagine the coach not taking advantage of that to the fullest.
ST: Karim Benzema
We’ll never know if Zidane planned to give Morata a starting role against Celta de Vigo, but now with a two-week gap, any chances the Spanish striker had may now be gone. Benzema will start to prepare him for the UCL.
LW: Cristiano Ronaldo
He’ll have to wait until next week to meet again with the Bernabéu crowd that criticized him two weeks ago. He’s proven before that when things aren’t going too well, he ends up silencing anyone who bashes him.
