Despite lifting the Champions League trophy at the end of last season there is a big task ahead for Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, and as he surveys his options during pre-season, Alvaro Morata is set to jump straight into his starting XI. Zinedine Zidane is already well aware of the fact that Cristiano won’t be fit for the European Super Cup final and that Gareth Bale will be a close call. That’s probably why he’s started looking at alternative line-ups, including a two-man strike force.
The Frenchman is still without the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos after their European Championship exploits but will look to give all other available players some minutes during this tour.23-year-old forward Morata spent the last two seasons with Juventus and had looked destined to leave the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu once again, but with no offers meeting Real Madrid’s valuation, the Spanish international will start for Los Blancos against Paris Saint-Germain in Ohio on Wednesday.
Knowing Morata well from his time in charge of the youth sides, and judging by his training sessions this week, Zidane looks set to pair the youngster in attack with Karim Benzema in a 4-4-2.Two of the young players that Real supporters are excited to see are 20-year-old Marco Asensio and Paraguayan forward Sergio Diaz, who could both feature at some stage.After the match against Paris Saint-Germain, Real have two more friendlies in the United States; against Chelsea and Bayern Munich before the UEFA Super Cup with Europa League champions Sevilla on August 9.
The squad conducted their eleventh training session of the pre-season without both Marco Asensio and Mariano, who trained apart from the rest of squad in the gym. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas, meanwhile, continues with his recovery program following an operation on his left foot back in June.
