Karim Benzema set to return as Real Madrid take on Club America

(Football news) After losing 1-0 to FC Barcelona, Real Madrid will take on Club America in their 2nd pre-season friendly. Real Madrid have two more friendly games before their UEFA Super Cup match against Frankfurt. Karim Benzema will be back in the squad to play a few minutes. Other players who didn't get a chance to play in the last match are also likely to get a few minutes. Carlo Ancelotti has already come out and said that the team that will play against Juventus in the last friendly game will be the one that plays against Frankfurt. This match hence is important to give a few academy players like Vinicius Tobias and Jaunmi Latasa a chance. 

Real Madrid squad:

Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Luis López, Lucas Cañizares, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militão, David Alaba, Jesus Vallejo, Nacho, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy, Alvaro Odriozola, Vinicius Tobías, Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, Casemiro, Fede Valverde, Lucas Vazquez, Aurélien Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga, Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo, Mariano and Jaunmi Latasa.

Los Blancos didn't have a single shot on target against Barcelona but Benzema's presence will be a big difference. Ancelotti would like to see his side be a little more clinical and ruthless. Defensively they were very good in the last match with a back line of Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger. The surprise was that Rudiger started at left back while Alaba continued to play at centre back. Carlo Ancelotti played the two sets of midfielders in each half as the younger lot (Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni) started the game and the old guards (Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro) came on in the second half. The manager may be looking to mix and match to have options ready in the future. 

Eden Hazard played as a false 9 in the last game but didn't have any significant impact. He will be keen to make some sort of impact in the next match and prove to Ancelotti that he can count on him. Dani Carvajal is likely to miss the game as he isn't training with the team due to an injury. Real Madrid will be looking for a dominant victory to really set the tone for the beginning of the season. It will be a jam packed schedule with the Club World Cup and the Super Cup on top of the 2022 World Cup where most of their players will be going. 

Also read: Real Madrid agree €10m deal with Getafe for Borja Mayoral

SHARE:

Share The Article:

Leave A Reply