MX23RW : Tuesday, June 16 02:29:59| >> :120:13788:13788:

How Real Madrid could line up for their first game back

Sports Mole looks at how Real Madrid could line up for their first match back after lockdown following the announcement that La Liga will return on June 11.

The wait for top-flight Spanish football will finally come to an end on June 11, when La Liga returns after a hiatus of more than three months.

For Real Madrid and Barcelona it means a resumption of a fascinating title battle which sees the two sides separated by only two points after 27 games of the campaign.

A 2-0 Clasico win had given Zinedine Zidane's side the edge in the title race at the beginning of March, only for a follow-up 2-1 loss at Real Betis to see the tussle swing back in favour of Barca.

Madrid's first game back will come on the weekend of June 12-14, when they will take on relegation-threatened Eibar at the Bernabeu, and here Sports Mole looks at how they could line up for that contest.



RMA XI

Out: Luka Jovic (foot)
Doubtful: Eden Hazard (ankle), Marco Asensio (knee)

One advantage of the enforced stoppage in play means that Eden Hazard is likely to feature again this season, although whether he makes the starting lineup for the first game back is another matter.

The Belgian - a big-money signing from Chelsea last summer - has suffered an injury-plagued debut campaign at the Bernabeu and underwent ankle surgery in March, which he is still recovering from.

Hazard is now back running and should not be too far behind his teammates in terms of match fitness, but Vinicius Junior was the preferred choice on the left before lockdown and that is likely to continue being the case until Hazard is ready to play a full 90 minutes.

No-one has featured more often or scored more goals than Karim Benzema for Madrid this season and he will lead the line again, particularly after Luka Jovic suffered a fractured foot during lockdown.

Midfield stalwarts Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro are all likely to start too, with Federico Valverde completing the five-man midfield on the right.

Marco Asensio, who has missed the entire campaign so far, is the only other injury doubt alongside Jovic, with the three-month break giving the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Marcelo and Dani Carvajal the chance to recover from injuries they were nursing beforehand.

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Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after helping his side to victory in the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev
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rhs 2.0
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona28194567313661
2Real Madrid28178352203259
3Sevilla29149642301251
4Real Sociedad28145946341247
5Getafe28137838271146
6Atletico MadridAtletico281113432221046
7Valencia28111073940-143
8Granada29126113735242
9Villarreal28125114538741
10Athletic Bilbao2891183024638
11Osasuna2881193539-435
12Levante29105143442-835
13Real Betis29810114047-734
14Real Valladolid28711102534-932
15AlavesAlaves2888122939-1032
16EibarEibar2876152844-1627
17Celta Vigo28511122235-1326
18Mallorca2874172848-2025
19Leganes2858152241-1923
20Espanyol2858152546-2123

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