Karim Benzema (34)
Karim Benzema does not arrive in the best of form for Sunday's Clásico. The Real Madrid captain has been going through a goal drought, having not scored since the 3ᵉ La Liga matchday against Espanyol of Barcelona on August 28. Injuries have not spared him either. Against Celtic FC in the Champions League on 6 September, the Frenchman felt a pain in his right knee and left in the first half. He was then unavailable until the international break and missed three matches.
But that was not all. Last weekend, Karim Benzema was rested against Getafe simply as a precaution. Carlo Ancelotti justified the Nueve's absence by saying he had "played two 90-minute games after injury" and was "tired". The former Lyon man arrives at the Clásico "rested" but not at his best, if one looks at the statistics.
He is not the only one to have scored 10 goals this season, but he is only four goals behind the rest of the squad. This season, he is at 4 goals in all competitions. However, the Frenchman's importance on the pitch is undeniable, and if he chooses to return to his best against Barcelona, his combination with Vini Jr. and Rodrygo, both of whom have been excellent so far, is likely to be lethal against a depleted team.
But what could be better than to deliver a good performance in a Clásico, just before receiving his first Ballon d'Or on Monday? See you on Sunday at 4.15pm at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Aurelien Tchouameni (22)
Aurelien Tchouameni is certainly one of Carlo Ancelotti's best players this season. The French midfielder arrived last summer for €80 million (excluding bonuses), and his transfer caused a stir. The most sceptical did not understand his choice to join a team with such a fixed and defined midfield - Modrić, Kroos and Casemiro. However, events have happened since his signing, such as the Brazilian's departure to Manchester United, and Tchouaméni has settled in as the cornerstone of Ancelotti's team in the 6 position.
Rested only against Mallorca by the Madrid staff in the 5ᵉ day of La Liga, the former Monaco man has played minutes in every game for his club and country this season. Complementing himself perfectly well with the two Croatian and German stalwarts, Tchouaméni assimilated very quickly what was asked of him. And we know that it can be very difficult to integrate at 22 years old in this club, a fact that shows all his maturity, off and on the field.
The Frenchman has already made Casemiro forget him. He has an uncanny ability to position himself well and anticipate. He is at ease with the ball at his feet, and his passing is reassuring. He knows how to project himself and create chances, as he did against Espanyol when he delivered a decisive pass to Vini Jr. He is therefore ultra-complete and will play his first Clasico this Sunday.
Ferland Mendy (27)
The Merengues' all-risk insurance. Ferland Mendy is the man who brings stability and defensive solidity to Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid. The Frenchman is a solid left-back and brings serenity when he is in the starting line-up. If he is in the starting line-up on Sunday, he will certainly be facing Ousmane Dembele, a fiery winger whom he knows very well. The kind of striker he can deal with.
Offensively, this is where Ferland Mendy is lacking. Most of the criticism he receives is based on this aspect. Sometimes slow in his decision-making and rather limited on the technical aspect, the former OL player does not contribute enough on the offensive aspect as Marcelo or even Roberto Carlos could do. Mendy does provide a minimum, even if the Merengues fans have been used to better play over the last 20 years.
When Carlo Ancelotti decided to rotate the team, he placed David Alaba in the starting line-up, who provided added value in the attacking phases. However, the French left-back is expected to return to the starting line-up against Barcelona on Sunday. Having not played last weekend against Getafe, the Italian coach has decided to rest him so that he is fit for the Clásico.
"The most important thing for this game is to be solid, defensively united and play as a team. I think we haven't lost yet because we are very united, we work collectively, we understand each other well," Ferland Mendy told Realmadrid TV just before the Clasico.
Eduardo Camavinga (19)
It is often forgotten, but Eduardo Camavinga is only 19 years old. And yet he is one of the players in the squad who receives the most criticism, both positive and negative. This season, the young Frenchman has played minutes in every game for Real Madrid. Either he is a starter or he comes into the game, but the important thing is that he is playing much more than he did last year at this time.
In fact, since March of last season, Camavinga has become an essential bench player. Against PSG, Chelsea and Manchester City in the Champions League, he was a key player in each of the remounts: in the recovery, at the start of a goal action or by breaking lines in an acceleration. On Benzema's goal against the Blues that sealed qualification, it was he who collected the ball and sent Vini Jr through on goal. Against the Citizens, on Real Madrid's first, it was Camavinga who sent a cross to Benzema at the back post, before Rodrygo scored.
In his first season, he was in a process of adaptation based on the patience applied to young players arriving at Real Madrid. This season, Carlo Ancelotti is giving him more playing time and starting to delegate some responsibilities to him. From being a rotation player to a twelfth man by the end of 2021-2022, Camavinga starts many more games in 2022-2023. Inevitably, the tight schedule, due to a World Cup being played in November, forces the Italian to rotate more. Kroos and Modric are often rested, allowing the former Rennes man to get more game time.
Despite this, it is in this aspect that Eduardo Camavinga is expected. He has proved himself as a man off the bench, he must now impose himself when he plays as a starter. His age is not to his advantage, as it is difficult to establish oneself so early at Real Madrid, but his intrinsic qualities are not lacking. The Frenchman has the baggage to become a world-class midfielder, but first he needs to play, gain experience and learn to channel his temperament when he is on the green rectangle.
