Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will battle it out in the Champions League on Tuesday, May 2. Here’s the best combined XI from the Madrid squads.
Once again, we’re guaranteed to have a Spanish team in the Champions League final. Atletico Madrid are going to try to prove they’re not third fiddle in La Liga anymore on one of the biggest stages possible. Real Madrid, meanwhile, are going to do their best to keep their intra-city rivals in their place.
In the build up to the tie, here’s the Real/Atletico Madrid combined starting XI. Keep in mind that we’re sticking with players that will be match fit and available for the first leg on May 2, and we’ll be using the straightforward 4-4-2 formation that Atletico tend to employ.
GK: Jan Oblak
Choosing between Jan Oblak and Keylor Navas was one of the easier choices for the combined XI.
Atletico’s keeper has stats on his side. He’s only had 19 La Liga goals scored on him, compared to 28 on Navas. He also has 13 clean sheets against Navas’ four. Keep in mind that both of these guys play in the same league against the same opponents. Oblak impresses with his energy, reflexes and concentration. He never seems to let the moment get to him.
Navas does have more experience than his Slovakian counterpart. He also completes more of his passes, and his distribution is far superior. Also, Oblak plays behind a better defense, perhaps skewing some statistics in his favor.
In the end, though, being a goalkeeper means stopping the other team from scoring. Oblak does that more often.
CBs: Sergio Ramos, Diego Godin
The value of each of these players remains unquestioned. They’ve both logged thousands of minutes so for this season, and have both served as captains for their respective national teams.
The defense that Godin leads has conceded the fewest goals in La Liga for three of the past four seasons. He’s relentless, he’s cunning and he only seems to get better with age.
Ramos, for his part, plays the game his own way. He’s one of La Liga’s highest scoring defenders, but is still dangerously physical. This is evidenced by the fact that he boasts some of the most yellow cards this season.
It was hard to leave Stefan Savic off this list, but Ramos’ unique style demands he be played whenever possible. That’s not even to mention his stunning goalscoring record.
RB: Dani Carvajal
The decision here begins and ends with Carvajal.
Carvajal is one of Real’s best passers, completing 86 percent. Add in a tremendous skill for tackling, good dribbling and a (mostly) contained aggression, and he gets selected pretty easily over Juanfran.
Atletico’s primary right-back, Juanfran, simply doesn’t have the same tools as Carvajal. He’s older, more timid and has far less skill getting forward.
LB: Filipe Luis
Filipe Luis is another key contributor to Atletico’s lockdown defense. His unique athleticism put him in an unusual category of defenders. His tackling skills are world-class. Also, he’s going to play with a broken finger, because nothing slows him down.
The Brazillian has no real weakness in his game. He’s solid to the core and extremely focused. This puts him ahead of his Real opposite, Marcelo.
Marcelo may be more adept on offense, but this combined XI would benefit more from Atletico’s defense than Real’s free-scoring and free-conceding mindset. Filipe is the better pure defender.
CMs: Toni Kroos, Luka Modric
Kroos earns his nod for his impressive solidity. He has more assists, 11, than anybody on either Real or Atletico. He completes 91 percent of his passes. At 6 feet you’d expect him to do a little better in the air, but he can’t do everything.
But with Modric helping him in the midfield, Kroos doesn’t have much to worry about. Modric, in addition to his stunning technique and ability to dictate the tempo in midfield, has averaged 2.4 interceptions per game over the course of the tournament. In terms of technique and passing range, there many not be a better midfielder pairing in the world.
LM, RM: James Rodriguez, Isco
James has impressed this season despite struggling to find a spot in the starting XI. He’s managed to get six assists and six goals in only 10 La Liga appearances. That includes two goals in Real’s 6-2 drumming of Deportivo last week. James dazzled on offense in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, and Gareth Bale.
Isco earns his spot because of his tendency to score from the wing. While he’s only been placed at the right wing twice this season, he’s also scored twice from that position. He creates good opportunities with his feet and he has the added benefit of being fouled often, creating even more opportunities.
Yannick Carrasco has had another excellent season for Atletico, and deserves a mention, but he may miss the tie with a collarbone injury, so Isco and James get the edge.
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STs: Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann
This one is an absolute no-brainer. If you’re not clear on why these two players were chosen, here’s a little primer.
Griezmann has more goals and assists than any other Atletico player. His finishing and link play make him Atleti’s most important player by some margin. The defense is excellent, of course, but if Griezmann isn’t on form at the other end, the counter-attacking game plan becomes far more difficult. There’s a reason he’s been linked with a $100 million move this summer.
Ronaldo, finally, is Ronaldo. He’s not at the level he once was, and has turned himself into more of a pure number 9 than a winger, but it hasn’t changed his ability to impact a game at the highest level. In Real’s quarterfinal tie against Bayern Munich, an off-form Ronaldo scored five goals over the two legs to send Los Blancos into the semis. If he’s fit, he starts.