After a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Juventus last time out, Julen Lopetegui’s Real Madrid finish their International Champions Cup participation against Roma.
It’s the final chance the coach will have to assess the merits of his squad before their first real test of the season; the UEFA Super Cup against city neighbours Atletico.
All is not well behind the scenes however, with Mateo Kovacic going on strike to force a move through, and Luka Modric doing nothing to dispel the rumours that he wants to join Inter.
Florentino Perez will do his utmost to ensure neither move materialises, allowing the coach to get on with his work unhindered.
Vallejo to partner Ramos
With Raphael Varane only just having returned after his World Cup exploits, it’s unlikely that Lopetegui will risk him here, with one eye on the Super Cup.
His absence will give Jesus Vallejo the chance to stake his claim alongside captain Sergio Ramos.
Like the other youngsters in the side, Ceballos, Llorente and Theo, Vallejo barely featured under Zinedine Zidane, but the new man in charge has shown a willingness to utilise his entire squad.
That means this game represents a real opportunity for the centre-back. Even if he can’t force his way into the starting line-up on a regular basis, a good performance here and in training could ensure that Lopetegui rotates during the season with no cause for concern.
Such a scenario will only be of benefit to all and will ensure the best players arrive fresh at the business end of the campaign.
Vinicius to star yet again
One of the reasons that Real Madrid decided to part with €45 million for the services of Vinicius Jr. is because of the fearlessness he showed when playing in the Brazilian league.
Despite his young age – he’s only just turned 18 – and the change of scenery, nothing has changed.
Built like a bull, the centre-forward was one of the stars of the game against Manchester United and Juve couldn’t really contain him in the second half of their game either.
A centre-back pairing of Marcano and Manolas certainly won’t hold any fears for him, and they’ll need to use all of their experience to keep him from scoring his first goal in a white shirt.
A genuine consideration of whether Real should keep him as part of their squad now, rather than loan him out as had been previously mooted, shows how highly he is rated.
Navas’ last stand?
With the Premier League transfer window set to slam shut on Thursday, the next couple of days will be crucial in terms of Thibaut Courtois’ hire for Real Madrid.
The giant Belgian stopper wants to come and Los Blancos have made their intentions clear, so this could be the last game for a while where we see Keylor Navas as Real’s number one.
The Costa Rican hasn’t done too much wrong in truth but will have to play second fiddle from now on.
A decent sign off can do him the world of good mind.
