The Real Madrid 2022/23 squad is jam-packed with both talent and experience. Not to mention that young stars like Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga often give competition to the maestros of the game – Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
But after securing a place in the round of 16, in UCL already, Real Madrid, or more precisely Carlo Ancelotti might want to throw in some other squad members who haven’t seen much of the pitch lately due to the fierce competition for starting spot in the team.
Let’s take a look at some of the players who would appreciate the much-needed game time against RB Leipzig.
DEFENCE
David Alaba and Eder Militao were already a pretty formidable defensive duo last season and with Antonio Rudiger added on top, it just means that Nacho Fernandez isn’t going to get much game time. It would be nice to see Ancelotti toss in Nacho to help keep him in shape and chemistry with the team. It’s almost unforgettable how many times Nacho come to the aid of the team in dire moments while staying by the bench, waiting patiently.
Three other such candidates are Jesus Vallejo, Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Odriozola. Vallejo has received quite harsh treatment from the fans after his not-so-memorable time with Wolves. The same goes with Odriozola who had a rather dry spell with Fiorentina last season although it was off to a great start earlier that season. It would be hard for Odriozola and Vallejo to get play time, but let’s see if Ancelotti has kept them in his plans.
Vazquez on the other hand gets a good shout to play against Leipzig. An insane defender when he is fit, Dani Carvajal is often known to be very injury prone. With Antonio Pintus at the helm, situations have changed most certainly but it would be a nice opportunity to let Vazquez play in place of Carvajal and after his goal vs Sevilla, it would be interesting to see what Vazquez puts up to the table if Carlo starts him against Leipzig.
MIDFIELD
With Dani Ceballos and Valverde injured, it wouldn’t give Ancelotti a lot of options other than playing the midfield trio of Modric, Kroos and Tchouameni. But it’s high time the Italian started raising up the very bright prospects of the Castilla, and reportedly the best one yet, Sergio Arribas.
Arribas captained the youth team to win the UEFA Youth League in 2019/20 and has been on the rise ever since. As a technically gifted player who is skilled with the ball at his feet, it would be a blessing for him if Carlo can give him a spot in today’s fixture against Leipzig.
ATTACK
With Karim Benzema injured, it would be a nice opportunity for players like Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard who have been hungrily craving game time. With Vinicius and Rodrygo upfront, it means a place is reserved for either of the former 2. And considering how fierce the competition for starting spots has been recently, both Asensio and Hazard would be more ready than ever to put up a goal contribution to give more headache to Ancelotti on who to play in the coming games.
Real Madrid Predicted XI vs RB Leipzig: Courtois, Mendy, Alaba, Rudiger, Vazquez, Kroos, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Asensio.
