How Real Madrid Could Line Up Against Manchester United in US Friendly

• Real Madrid and Manchester United will face off in a friendly at NRG Stadium in Texas
• The last time the two European juggernauts played against each other was in August 2018
• Sports Brief takes a look at how Real Madrid could line up against the Red Devils

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is likely to continue his experimentation with a 4-4-2 diamond formation in Wednesday's pre-season friendly against Manchester United at NRG Stadium in Texas on Thursday.

Los Blancos have primarily used a 4-3-3 setup in the past season, but due to the departure of star striker Karim Benzema, Ancelotti opted for a four-man diamond-shaped midfield during the 3-2 comeback win over AC Milan on Monday.

This formation saw summer signing Jude Bellingham taking up the No.10 role.

Ancelotti was full of praise for Bellingham's performance in his debut against Milan and believes that the 19-year-old Englishman is best suited for the No.10 position, per BBC.

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Real Madrid's probable lineup

Therefore, it is likely that Bellingham will get another opportunity to start behind two central strikers in the upcoming match.

Federico Valverde, who scored two goals in the victory over Milan, is likely to retain his position on the right side of the midfield diamond. As for the other two midfield spots, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, and Aurelien Tchouameni will be vying for those positions.

In the forward line, new signings Joselu and Brahim Diaz started the last match as the lead strikers.

However, Vinicius Junior, who came off the bench and scored the winning goal against Milan, could replace either of the Spaniards.

Thibaut Courtois is expected to return as the first-choice goalkeeper, replacing Andriy Lunin.

In defence, Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, and Antonio Rudiger, who began as substitutes in the last match, will be competing for starting roles.

Real Madrid formation

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Ancelotti drops two stars

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti has not changed his stance on a couple of players being surplus to requirements for the Spanish capital club.

The UEFA Champions League-winning manager reportedly left out a few players from his pre-season training session ahead of the new campaign.

According to a report by Cadena SER, both Alvaro Odriozola and Jesus Vallejo are aware the Italian manager does not want them for the past year and this pre-season has seen that message made clearer than ever.

Brazil’s President unsure of Ancelotti

Sports Brief earlier reported on Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, being unconvinced about the decision of the country's FA to appoint Ancelotti as Selecao manager despite his success in Europe.

The Samba Boys have been without a manager since Tite resigned after the team was eliminated from the 2022 FIFA World Cup by Croatia, with the Italian expected to help reclaim their former glory.