Real Madrid vs. AS Roma: Team News, Predicted Lineup, Live Stream and TV Info
Real Madrid begin life under new manager Rafa Benitez on Saturday, with Los Blancos set to meet AS Roma in the first game of their pre-season campaign in the International Champions Cup in Melbourne.
More than 17,000 kilometres from home, in the south east of Australia, world football's glamour club will be greeted by a crowd 100,000 strong at the truly colossal Melbourne Cricket Ground. This game is the first of two for Real at the spiritual home of Australian sport.
Under normal circumstances, such an outing may not have held much interest for a large portion of the club's global fanbase. However, the presence of a new manager, carrying with him new methods and new ideas, has added a significant dose of intrigue, many fascinated by the changes Benitez will bring to his new team.
Indeed, the lingering questions are significant in number: Where will Cristiano Ronaldo play? What will be Gareth Bale's role? Who will make up the midfield? What shape will the team use? What brand of football will define Benitez's side?
Saturday's clash with AS Roma will give us our first glimpse of a new-look Madrid, possibly going some way to answering such questions.
Date: Saturday, July 18
Time: 10 a.m. BST / 5 a.m. EDT / 7 p.m. local
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia
TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), Fox Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Fox Sports Go (U.S.)
Team News
All week, news has filtered out of Melbourne from both Marca and AS regarding the shapes, systems and positional details seen at Real Madrid's training sessions under Benitez.
On Wednesday, AS noted that Madrid trained as two teams in a practice match, one utilising a 4-2-3-1 and the other a 4-4-2, with the club's attacking stars split between the teams and operating in an array of roles. On Friday, the Madrid-based daily added that Benitez had experimented with Ronaldo, Bale and Karim Benzema in the same lineup for the first time; the Portuguese placed on the left, the Frenchman up front, the Welshman in behind Benzema and Isco out on the right.
Marca, however, made the bolder statement: "Bale as a number 9," its headline read on Friday, suggesting the 26-year-old could be tested as Real's focal point in Melbourne.
We'll see.
Elsewhere, young goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco could start on Saturday, with Keylor Navas still recovering from an Achilles problem. In front of him, Raphael Varane is likely to take his place at the centre of the defence given that he's expected to enjoy a more prominent role in 2015-16, while Danilo could get the first chance to impress at right-back ahead of Daniel Carvajal.
And in the central midfield "two," expect to see Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, AS indicating Benitez has used the German and the Croatian as a pair during training this week.
Predicted Lineup
Players to Watch
Though the Melbourne crowd will undoubtedly have its gaze fixed on Ronaldo, the man the club's fans will most be watching is Bale.
Following a difficult second season in the Spanish capital, many expect to see the Welshman play a significantly altered role at the Bernabeu under Benitez, but no one is certain on exactly what that role will be. Could it be on the left? Might Benitez use him up front? Maybe through the middle behind the main striker?
Saturday will tell us more.
The other man who will draw attention against Roma is Danilo.
As ever, fans will be excited to catch a first glimpse of a major summer signing, the Brazilian having switched to Real Madrid from Porto for the very large figure of €31.5 million.
Yet, undoubtedly what makes his first outing so interesting is that, despite his price tag, he's far from guaranteed a place in the starting XI come the beginning of the season, given that he's in direct competition with the talented and very similar Carvajal.
Opportunities to impress, therefore, cannot be wasted.
Odds (via OddsChecker)
Real Madrid: 8/15
Draw: 10/3
AS Roma: 9/2
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