Real Madrid academy ace set to start vs Al-Hilal in Kylian Mbappe’s absence | OneFootball

Real Madrid begin their campaign in the FIFA Club World Cup in a matter of hours and Xabi Alonso has a massive decision to make over the lineup he will go ahead with.

Faced with an official game as his first match in charge as the team manager, the club legend must first choose a formation to adopt on the night. While a 4-4-2 was initially rumoured, it now appears that he has selected a 4-3-3.

It remains to be seen who Alonso picks as his defenders and midfielders for the game against Al-Hilal, but Miguel Angel Diaz provides an update on the team’s forward lineup for the game tonight.

A surprise starter

As relayed by the Spanish journalist, Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo Goes are set to start for Real Madrid against the Saudi Arabia-based club with the former playing on the left flank and the latter on the right.

Garcia after his most memorable moment as a Real Madrid player. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The third player in the trident, surprisingly, is Gonzalo Garcia – the young academy talent who chipped in with some vital contributions for the team under Carlo Ancelotti last season.

The youngster sees his number called only because Kylian Mbappe is unwell with a fever and is thus unlikely to play any part tonight. As a striker, the manager likely prefers Garcia as he is the only natural replacement in the department.

Alonso’s selection speaks volumes about his trust in youngsters and sets the tone for what will be a very different set of years under his tutelage. Many reports even relay that Arda Guler is set to start on the night.

Garcia, who will start in attack tonight, scored a crucial goal for Real Madrid against Leganes last season as his 93rd-minute winner helped the team progress to the semifinal of the Copa del Rey.

More recently, he even provided an assist in the team’s penultimate league clash against Sevilla and has thus shown to have the required mettle to play for the first team.

Tonight’s game, however, will be vital for him as he will look to prove that he is a worthy bet as a backup striker for the upcoming season.