More than having a chance to go six points clear of Barcelona (and also having a game in hand), it's morale boost that Real Madrid will be targeting today. Los Blancos know that a win or draw tonight will all but seal the title for them. However, a loss will result in the Catalan side going on top of the table on head-to-head.
Zidane has a tough task on his hands right now. He has got to pick the best team possible tonight, and with a star-studded squad like the one at Bernabeu, that's going to be difficult.
Gareth Bale is fit and back in time to start for the league leaders, but the manager has made it clear that he will not rush the Welshman straight away. Isco has been in top form and is grabbing all the opportunities he gets these days.
However, Madrid will be without Messi's worst nightmare - Raphaël Varane. The defender has always been on the Argentine's toes and has made it impossible for the Barcelona superstar to score or even find space whenever he has played.
Here's how the Real Madrid XI might look like tonight:
Goalkeeper: Keylor Navas
Without a doubt, Keylor Navas is expected to stay in goal for Real Madrid. Unless he suffers an injury during warm up, he will be between the posts for Los Blancos today.
Zidane would want his to be at the top of his game. If he manages to keep a clean sheet today, that would be more than enough for Los Blancos to win the title this season.
Defenders:
Carvajal is expected to be playing on the right side of the defence again. He's got a daunting task of keeping Luis Suarez or Lionel Messi quiet for the entire game. One mistake and that could end up in Barcelona scoring. He has to be on the toes of the opponents attackers throughout the match. With Neymar out, one of the other two from MSN are expected to play in that position with Paco Alcaer in the middle.
Captain. Leader. Legend. Sergio Ramos is all set to lead the team out tonight with Nacho partnering him in the heart of the defence. The Spaniard scored the equaliser in the dying minutes of the previous Clasico and would want to score the winner this time around.
With Varane and Pepe out due to injury, Nacho Fernandez will be starting, just like he did vs. Bayern Munich. The 27-year-old did a good job of keeping Robert Lewandowski at bay in the Champions League match, but with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, things aren't going to be that simple.
Marcelo has been a regular at the left side of the defence for Madrid for a long time now and is set for yet another match in that position. He made a brilliant run to assist Cristiano Ronaldo during their 4-2 win over Bayern, and if he does something similar tonight, the Bernabeu crowd will go wild.
Midfielders:
Toni Kroos has been controlling the midfield for Real Madrid in all their big matches, and Zidane would want him to do the same today. With Barcelona set to play Iniesta and Rakitic, the German will have a tough time keeping hold of the ball.
Luka Modric has lost his pace but is still very efficient in the midfield for the Blancos. He too will find it challenging and with his countryman, Rakitic playing for the opponents, it's going to be fun to watch them battle it out in the middle.
Casemiro will be the 3rd midfielder in Zidane's 4-3-3 formation tonight. The Brazilian has been in top form this season but was responsible for Bayern Munich's penalty in the 2nd leg. He was reckless and was lucky to be on the pitch.
Forwards:
Gareth Bale is fit for the match, but the game but is expected to be benched by Zidane. The Welshman is just regaining his fitness and risking him in such a big game is not ideal. Isco is expected to be starting along with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Alvaro Morata and Marco Asensio will miss out once again, but one of them will come on in the second half. Meanwhile, Lucas Vazquez is set to be an unused sub today.
Gareth Bale is expected to come on in the 2nd half, but if they are in a dominating state, we might not see the Welshman as Zidane would not bring him on.
