Real Madrid are finding it difficult to get wins under their belt in the Spanish La Liga, having drawn two of their first three matches in the competition so far. They are currently unable to avail the services of their talismanic forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been banned for the first five matches of the domestic campaign after getting physical during an altercation with the referee following a red card during the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup tie against arch rivals Barcelona and it seems to have affected their form.
Los Blancos will look to take on Apoel Nicosia, the Cyprus based club in their very first match of the UEFA Champions League campaign this term and will look to get a positive result under their belt to boost their confidence for the new season. Ronaldo is set to make a return to the side, who are the reigning European champions and will look to start their title defence with nothing less than three points.
Here is the predicted lineup Los Blancos might choose for this game:
Defence-
The Real Madrid defence currently has two of the best defenders in European football at their disposal, in the form of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, who are known for their tackling skills and also for their ability to keep their team out of harm’s way. They will be joined by Dani Carvajal on the right side of the backline and Marcelo on the left side, looking to keep their opponents at bay and also contribute in the attack with their overlapping runs and brilliant crosses from both flanks.
Midfield-
The Galacticos have stalwarts of modern football like Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro in their middle of the pitch, helping their forwards to get a continuous supply of quality balls into the opposition third and convert them into goals. All three of them are also sharp shooters of the ball and can score goals from outside the box with thunderous volleys.
Attack-
The reigning La Liga champions have an array of top class attackers in their team, who are expected to play a crucial part in their upcoming season in the UEFA Champions League. Spearheaded by arguably the best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, the 12 time European Champions will look to make it as hard as possible for their Cypriot opponents with Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Isco and Marco Asensio looking to get goals under their belts in the very first game of the season in the Champions League.
Predicted Lineup-
Navas, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, Ronaldo, Bale/Isco, Benzema.
