New Jersey will play host to two footballing giants, as Real Madrid and Barcelona play their second game of the pre-season tour of USA.
Eder Militao, Rodrygo, and Vinicius Junior joined Ancelotti’s side yesterday and all of them can have a part to play in this mouthwatering clash.
Arda Güler, Dani Ceballos, and Luka Modric are expected to take the field again after featuring against AC Milan. Several Castilla youngsters will be looking to impress in the 2nd half.
Here is how Real Madrid can lineup against FC Barcelona:
GK: Thibaut Courtois
The Belgian had an impressive outing against AC Milan, making two saves inside the box. He would look to continue this form in order to remain the preferred goalkeeper at the club with Andriy Lunin not far behind.
RB: Lucas Vazquez
A rather quiet outing for the Spaniard in the previous match. Won a few duels, put in some long balls but was unable to put in many accurate crosses inside the box. Vazquez had put in an outstanding performance against Barcelona in the last El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, recording a goal and an assist in a 3-2 victory.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger
The German defender made just 1 tackle in the 45 minutes he played as AC Milan could not challenge him much on the night. Won a few duels, committed fouls – decent outing but not really Rüdigeresque. He would not want to risk an injury against his arch-rivals since Madrid are already short on defenders.
CB: Éder Militão
He makes a return to the lineup after joining up with the squad just yesterday. Carlo Ancelotti would want the Brazilian to step up and form a formidable duo with Rüdiger. He’s still a great defender despite not having a good end to last season after returning from a lengthy injury break.
LB: Fran García
One of the five players to have played the entire 90 minutes for Real Madrid in the last match. Despite the loss, the Spaniard was solid in defence and did well against his marker. With Ancelotti preferring Ferland Mendy as his first choice, Fran would hope to continue with this form and get some goals.
CM: Dani Ceballos
A fine performance by Ceballos in the midfield, as he complimented Modric and Mario Martin well during the game. Ancelotti will be handing him another start and the Spaniard will be looking to impress again.
CM: Luka Modric
A typical Modric performance against Milan. This may be his final season playing professional football and with the stacked midfield already at the club, the Croatian may not start in the El Clasico in La Liga and would want to make the most of his chance tonight.
CM: Arda Güler
The Turk is expected to start in the midfield today but may shift to an attacking midfielder role during the match. Carlo has always been cautious with him due to the youngsters injury record and might play the first half only. This will be his first Clasico appearance – albeit an unofficial one.
RW: Rodrygo
He was a part of the Brazilian contingent that joined the team yesterday. The right-wing position may be switched throughout the season as Rodrygo and Güler will be competing for this spot. But both players have the versatility to play in different positions and it will be a desirable dilemma for the Italian manager to choose from.
ST: Endrick
A rather quiet outing for the young Brazilian striker as he looked lost. However, he is eager to learn from his mistakes and if he is not involved directly in goals or assists, he will look to help the team in other ways.
LW: Brahim Díaz
The best player against his former club as he made some impressive runs, played in some crosses and long balls too. The Moroccan will have yet another opportunity to showcase his skills and even – potentially – have his name on the scoresheet.
