After winning both the Champions League and La Liga last season, Real Madrid (RM) will start their pre-season 2022-23 against arch-rivals FC Barcelona (BAR) at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, United States on Sunday, July 24. The match will start at 8:30 AM IST (Indian Standard Time).

RM vs BAR Dream11 prediction

Real Madrid will play their first match since defeating Liverpool 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 final at Stade de France in May. 

As far as their summer transfer activity is concerned, Los Blancos have signed 22-year-old midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni from AS Monaco for 80 million euros. The reigning UCL champions have also roped in former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer.

On the other hand, Barcelona will be brimming with confidence after the Catalans thrashed MLS side Inter Miami 6-0 in their second pre-season 2022-23 match on Wednesday. 

Goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, new signing Raphinha, Ansu Fati, Gavi, Memphis Depay and Ousmane Dembele helped Barcelona register a dominant victory. 

Earlier, Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw by Spanish fifth-tier outfit Unió Esportiva Olot in their first pre-season friendly.

Xavi’s Barcelona have already made several reinforcements to their squad, signing Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Pablo Torre. Lewandowski is in line to make his Barcelona debut in the El Clasico on Sunday.

Barcelona hold a superior head-to-head record against Real Madrid in the El Clasico, winning 116 of the 282 matches that they have played so far. Madrid have secured 104 victories.

In exhibition matches, the Catalans giants have a dominant record, winning 19 of the 33 matches. Real Madrid have managed just four victories while 10 matches have ended in draws.

RM vs BAR Dream11 team tips for pre-season 2022-23 football friendly

Top Tip: Best forward

Real Madrid talisman Karim Benzema is the top forward to watch out for in the RM vs BAR clash. The Ballon d'Or 2022 contender was the one of the standout players in Europe last season, netting 44 goals and providing 15 assists in 46 matches. Benzema  will look to continue his impressive form against Barcelona in their pre-season clash on Sunday.

Top Tip: Best midfielder

Picking Real Madrid star midfielder Toni Kroos in any fantasy football team for the El Clasico is a no-brainer. Alongside Luka Modric and Casemiro, Kroos played a pivotal role in helping Madrid clinch the double last season. The German international scored three goals and bagged just as many assists in the 2021-22 campaign. Kroos will look to assert his authority in the midfield engine room against arch-rivals Barcelona. 

Top Tip: Best defender and goalkeeper

Among the defenders, one must pick Real Madrid’s David Alaba in your fantasy football team for the El Clasico in Las Vegas. Since making his move from Bayern Munich, Alaba played a total of 46 matches last season. Along with his impressive defensive credentials, the left-footed defender has netted 46 goals and provided 70 assists in his 558 career matches so far. He will play a key role in order to stop the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.

For the goalkeeper spot, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois will be the preferred choice over Marc-André ter Stegen of Barcelona. Courtois made as many as nine saves against Liverpool in the Champions League final to power Madrid to their 14th UCL title. He will be a quality investment for this match.

RM vs BAR probable playing XI

Real Madrid playing XI (probable): Thibaut Courtois (goalkeeper); Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba; Aurelien Tchouameni, Casemiro, Toni Kroos; Rodrygo, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Jr.

Barcelona playing XI (probable): Marc-André ter Stegen (goalkeeper); Sergino Dest, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Jordi Alba; Gavi, Sergio Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres

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Featured photo: LLUIS GENE / AFP

 

Days after Germany were knocked out of UEFA Euro 2020, midfielder Toni Kroos announced his retirement from international football, saying that he wants to focus more on his club career with Real Madrid.

"I have played 106 times for Germany. There will not be another time," the Real Madrid midfielder wrote on Twitter.

pic.twitter.com/A1zrTrtoFK

�Toni Kroos (@ToniKroos) July 2, 2021

"I had already made the decision to retire after this tournament for some time. It had been clear to me for a while that I will not be available for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar. 

"Mainly because I want to focus fully on my goals with Real Madrid for the next few years. In addition, from now on I will deliberately allow myself breaks that have not existed as a national player for eleven years.

"It was a great honour for me to be able to wear this jersey for such a long time. I did it with pride and passion," he added.

A 2014 World Cup winner with Die Mannschaft, Kroos earned a whopping 106 international caps for his national team, making him one of 13 players to have played more than 100 games for Germany.

Most international caps for German football team

Player	Caps for Germany
Lothar Matthaus	150
Miroslav Klose	137
Lukas Podolski	130
Bastian Schweinsteiger	121
Philipp Lahm	113
Jürgen Klinsmann	108
Toni Kroos	106
Thomas Muller	106
Jurgen Kohler	105
Manuel Neuer	104
Per Mertesacker	104
Franz Beckenbauer	103
Thomas Hassler	101

Toni Kroos stats for German football team

During his time with the national team, Kross scored 17 goals and assisted 19 more. He played a total of 14 matches for Germany in the FIFA World Cup from 2010 to 2018, scoring three goals and assisting four times. Interestingly, all his four assists came in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Kroos�form in 2014 coincided with Germany’s ruthlessness at the FIFA World Cup. During the tournament, the Germans scored 18 goals in just seven matches. Seven of those 18 goals came in the demolition job of hosts Brazil in the semi-final where Kroos scored a brace and got an assist for the opening goal. He ended the game with a passing accuracy of 93 per cent and was adjudged Player of the Match.

Toni Kroos�honours with Germany

Apart from being a World Cup winner with Die Mannschaft, Toni Kroos has won a few individual honours too. This includes being a part of the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team and FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2014. In the same year, he was named the German Player of the Year. 

Two years later, he was named as one of the players in the UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament. In 2018, he was adjudged the German Footballer of the Year.

When you bag a stoppage-time stunner at the #WorldCup @ToniKroos

TV listings //t.co/xliHcxWvEO
Highlights //t.co/LOdKDX2Cwn pic.twitter.com/3WEnY29nGz

�FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 23, 2018

Kroos�international career spanned over a decade, having earned his maiden national call-up in a friendly match against Argentina in 2010. He went on to play his part in Germany’s 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign where they finished third.

Four years later, he played every minute of the 2014 FIFA World Cup as Die Mannschaft were crowned champions.

Featured photo: AFP / Frank Augstein

It is quite rare that a Germany national football team heads into a major international tournament like the Euro 2020 as an underdog. Even though Germany are the joint-most successful side in the UEFA European championships with three titles alongside Spain, not much is expected of them in the upcoming Euros. 

Since winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Germany have experienced a bit of a lull compared to their impeccably high standards. The Die Mannschaft were knocked out in the group stage at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. 

Germany were also thrashed 6-0 by Spain in the UEFA Nations League last year - their worst defeat since 1931. They also recently suffered a 2-1 loss to minnows North Macedonia in the World Cup qualifiers, indicating that the European heavyweights aren’t at their ruthless best at the moment.

These results, in fact, have forced Joachim Low to step down as Germany head coach with former Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick set to take charge after the Euros.

Joachim Low and his men are placed in Group F, which is considered the group of death at Euro 2020. Germany’s group features world champions France, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Hungary.

Germany have announced an experienced squad for Euro 2020, recalling World Cup winners Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels after a two-year absence. Low has also added Monaco striker Kevin Volland, who has not played for Germany since 2016, as well as the Bayern Munich teenager Jamal Musiala.

Germany squad for Euro 2020 

Goalkeepers: Bernd Leno, Manuel Neuer, Kevin Trapp

Defenders: Matthias Ginter, Robin Gosens, Christian Gunter, Marcel Halstenberg, Mats Hummels, Lukas Klostermann, Robin Koch, Antonio Rudiger, Niklas Sule

Midfielders: Emre Can, Leon Goretzka, Ilkay Gundogan, Kai Havertz, Jonas Hofmann, Joshua Kimmich, Toni Kroos, Florian Neuhaus

Forwards: Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, Jamal Musiala, Timo Werner, Leroy Sane, Kevin Volland

 

 

SWOT Analysis of Germany Euro 2020 squad

Strength

Germany have several quality midfielders in their squad for the upcoming UEFA European championships. With the likes of Toni Kroos, Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Gundogan, Kai Havertz and Leon Goretzka, they have depth and a variety of options to choose from.

The team also possesses world class wingers who can change the complexion of the game with their speed and trickery in the wide areas. Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala and Thomas Muller are all household names in world football and it’s safe to say that opposition defenders will be far from keen when it comes to facing them.

Weaknesses

However, the Die Mannschaft lacks a traditional No. 9 in the mould of Robert Lewandowski or Harry Kane. The form of Chelsea forward Timo Werner is also a concern for Joachim Low’s side. Werner has failed to live upto the expectations since his transfer to Chelsea at the start of last season. 

He’s lacked confidence in front of goal and was guilty of missing an easy opportunity during Germany’s recent loss against North Macedonia. The German defence has also been vulnerable in recent times having kept just two clean sheets in their last 11 outings.

Opportunity

Since people have unusually low expectations from the German side this time around, the players can take this opportunity to express themselves on the field as they look to rally around the coach to give him a perfect send off.

Furthermore, Germany will play all its group games and a potential quarterfinal at home in Munich. This will give them an added advantage.

Threat

Germany scored a whopping 30 goals in their eight UEFA European Championship qualifying matches. This figure has been bettered by just one team in the groups of teams who played only eight games and that was England. 

Captain Manuel Neuer will hope that his team can rediscover their Midas touch in front of goal at Euro 2020 as they bid to become the most successful team in the history of the competition. Germany will begin their Euro 2020 campaign against world champions France at the Allianz Arena on June 16.

Featured photo: THILO SCHMUELGEN / POOL / AFP

The last decade was quite a successful one for Real Madrid, even though they weren’t able to establish complete dominance in La Liga. Yet, the Los Blancos tasted plenty of glory in Europe over the last ten years, as the wait for La Decima finally came to an end and was followed by a hat-trick of Champions League trophies between 2015 and 2018.

As has been the case over the years, Real Madrid splurged heavily on players over the last decade, with president Florentino Perez searching for Galacticos year after year. During this period, Real Madrid recruited a total of 45 players on permanent transfers. 

Not all of these players that arrived at the Bernabeu made lasting impacts, with quite a few proving to be disappointments and were moved on from the club. Some, though, played integral roles in the club’s success over the last ten years and continue to do so even now. And here, we take a look at the top five such signings that Real Madrid made in the last decade;

Read | Premier League 2019/20: Three players who exceeded expectations

Raphael Varane

Signed as a youngster with potential back in 2011 from French club Lens for a modest fee of £9 million, not many would have envisaged how critical a player Raphael Varane would go on to become for Real Madrid.

Just 26 years old, Varane has established himself as one of the finest defenders in the game. The Frenchman has been integral to every title Real Madrid have won over the last decade. He also went on to win the World Cup with France in 2018.

Varane, so far, has made over 300 appearances for Real Madrid and is primed to take over as the club captain when Sergio Ramos decides to bring an end to his career with the club. Given his age, the Frenchman should only continue to get better. For just £9 million, he has proved to be an excellent bargain for Real Madrid.

Luka Modric

Arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 for a transfer fee of £32 million, it did not take long for Modric to ingratiate himself with the Real Madrid faithful. The Croatian international added that bit of quality and class to the Merengues�midfield that had been lacking for quite a while, helping them make the step up to the next level.

Read | Top five active free-kick takers in football

So, it did not come as a surprise that Real Madrid went on to win the Champions League in his second season with the club. Modric, then went on to play instrumental roles in Los Blancos�/span> UCL hat-trick under Zinedine Zidane. 

The Croatian international didn’t always get a lot of limelight, owing to the presence of stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the squad. But Modric was the heartbeat of the Real Madrid side that made history in European football last decade. The midfielder, who is entering the twilight of his career, has made 333 appearances for Madrid and won the 2018 Ballon d’Or.

Gareth Bale

Another player to arrive at the Bernabeu from Tottenham, Gareth Bale followed in Modric’s footsteps only a year later. And while he has had to endure a rocky relationship with the club’s supporters, one cannot deny the role he has played in the success Real Madrid enjoyed since his arrival.

Bale is just one short of making 250 appearances for the Spanish capital club. During his time with the club, the Welsh wing wizard has netted 105 goals, that include some very crucial strikes in the club’s history �an extra-time goal in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid in his debut season, a brace in their European Cup triumph against Liverpool in 2017-18, among others.

Read | Atalanta B.C: Andrea Agnelli’s worst nightmare

Bale has also assisted 67 goals at Madrid including the only goal in their 1-0 win over Atletico in the Champions League final in 2015-16. His strained relationship with the manager and club legend Zinedine Zidane coupled with his injury record has somewhat tarnished his legacy. But there is no taking away the fact that Bale has been critical to Real Madrid’s trophy-laden spell over the last few years.

Casemiro

Signed initially on a loan deal from Brazilian outfit Sao Paulo in January 2013, Casemiro initially linked up with Real Madrid’s Castilla side. But Jose Mourinho decided to give him a break in the first-team and he was then signed permanently for just a little over £5 million.

The Brazilian spent a season away on loan with FC Porto during the 2014-15 campaign. Upon returning, Casemiro walked right into the starting lineup at Real Madrid and went on to play an important part in the club’s hat-trick of European cup triumphs. His presence added that element of stability and solidity that Real had been lacking.

"For the balance of the team, he is without a doubt [Real Madrid's] most important player. He has changed the face of Madrid," Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone had said of Casemiro ahead Real’s 2015-16 UCL triumph. 

Not always in the spotlight, Casemiro does the dirty work for Real Madrid in the middle and performs it so very well, allowing the others around him to flourish. The 28-year-old has made 229 appearances for Los Blancos and as he enters the peak years of his career, should add many more to that tally.

Read | Five strikers Real Madrid should target to replace Karim Benzema

Toni Kroos

Another central midfielder in the list, Toni Kroos had established himself as one of the finest midfielders in Europe prior to his arrival at Real Madrid in 2014. And the German international has only gone on to elevate that status much further during his stint at the Bernabeu.

Along with Modric and Casemiro, Kroos forged the perfect midfield partnership, helping Real Madrid control games from the centre. Over the years, the German pass master has helped unlock many a defence with his vision and distribution, while also scoring some important goals for the Merengues along the way.

Kroos has made over 260 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring 18 goals and chalking up 68 assists. At 30 years of age, the former Bayern Munich midfielder has plenty left to offer for the Spanish heavyweights and could very well go on to add to his three Champions League winners�medal with the club.

Honourable Mentions: Keylor Navas, James Rodriguez, Isco

Toni Kroos admits Real Madrid's players feel frustrated they have not used the inconsistency of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to establish a hefty lead in La Liga.

Barca have already lost three games out of 11 this season while Atletico have managed only five wins from 12, with Real Sociedad sitting third after a surprisingly strong start. 

But Madrid have not taken advantage. They missed out on the chance to go top last weekend by drawing at home to Real Betis, just after Barcelona were beaten by Levante and Atletico drew against Sevilla.

Zinedine Zidane's side got back on track with an emphatic 6-0 win over Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday, a morale-boosting win ahead of Saturday's visit to Eibar in La Liga. 

"The last few games have been better," Kroos told AFP. "More and more players are coming into form which is good because at the start of the season only a few players were in form which made it difficult. 

"To be honest my feeling in the league is that we should be a few points clear by now. But we aren't and we have to keep fighting for that first place. 

"You have to be frustrated because we have missed out but we are using that as motivation because we are still in contention. We can't change anything, we have to concentrate on our game. 

"We will focus on the others when we play them but we know when they lose points, it gives us a chance and we have to take our chance. We have to get some points ahead." 

Madrid's thrashing of Galatasaray means they are virtually qualified from Group A and the victory also launched 18-year-old Rodrygo onto the international stage, after the Brazilian scored a hat-trick. 

He is the second youngest player to hit a hat-trick in Champions League history behind Madrid's former striker Raul while his first two goals came before the seventh minute, making his the fastest brace ever in the competition. 

Rodrygo joined Madrid from Santos last summer in a 45-million euro deal and has been given his chance on the right of the front three, in the absence of the injured Gareth Bale. 

"It's impressive and I'm happy for him," Kroos said. "It's not just about the goals, he helps us in lots of ways. He works very hard on the flanks and he doesn't lose the ball. 

"He is very mature for his age, not only in his game but off the pitch as well. I have no doubt these three goals will not change anything about his character." 

Kroos has found a new midfield partner too in recent weeks in Fede Valverde, the 21-year-old Uruguayan who has established himself ahead of Luka Modric in the starting line-up. 

"He is amazing," Kroos said. "I really love this player. To come here is not easy and to play like he is at this age means he has a lot of quality. I'm sure he has a great future here for many years to come." 

After Madrid face Eibar at Ipurua, Barcelona play at home to struggling Celta Vigo, who appointed Oscar Garcia coach on Wednesday after Fran Escriba was sacked earlier this week. 

Celta will be hoping to lift the mood, and Barca too, after they followed up their defeat by Levante with a goalless draw against Slavia Prague in front of a restless Camp Nou. 

"We know that we need to give more, especially when we play at home," said Frenkie de Jong. "I can understand that when we're not winning at home, it's normal that people criticise. We're not running away from that, we know that we have a lot to improve." 

Atletico are also looking for a change in momentum as they host Espanyol on the back of three games without a win. "The first person responsible is me," said Atletico coach Diego Simeone, after Wednesday's 2-1 loss at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. 

Featured image courtesy: AFP/ Ozan Kose