da dobrowin： The failure to replace Karim Benzema leaves Los Blancos with a gaping hole to fill, but doing so with the new English midfielder is a bad idea

da esport bet： Until news of Thibaut Courtois' devastating knee injury filtered out on Thursday, Real Madrid were pretty much set at 10 positions in their line up heading into the new campaign. This is a packed squad, with arguably too many top-quality midfielders to manage.

But aside from the addition of goalkeeper, there was already one gaping hole in Carlo Ancelotti's squad. The departure of and failure to yet replace Karim Benzema has left Madrid with a problem heading into the 2023-24 season. It has long been presumed that would be solved by the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, but the Paris Saint-Germain star's insistence that he will not move this summer has potentially thrown another spanner into the works.

If we remove their issues at either end of the pitch for now, then Madrid can make a case for the rest of their projected line up to the best in the world, and that's regardless of who wins some of the remaining selection competitions. Aurelien Tchouameni, last summer's big-name signing, could find himself frozen out, while Eduardo Camavinga could once again be asked to play at left-back (despite his open disdain for the position.)

So how should Madrid line up going forward? GOAL takes a look at how it all can fit together…

Getty ImagesGK: Andriy Lunin

It's likely that Madrid will dip into the transfer market after the devastating news that Courtois could be out for most if not all of the upcoming season, but without knowing their exact plans for the goalkeeper position, we've gone for Courtois' back-up Andriy Lunin between the sticks.

The Ukraine international has proven himself an able deputy in recent times, but it remains to be seen how he would deal with the pressure if he were to become the regular No.1 over the course of a whole campaign.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Dani Carvajal

Despite entering the twilight of his career, Dani Carvajal should keep his spot in the XI. It could, though, be his last season as a guaranteed starter. The Spain full-back showed signs of slowing down in 2022-23, and with only two years remaining on his contract, could be seeing his days as a go-to player coming to an end.

Getty ImagesCB: Eder Militao

Comfortably the second best centre-back in La Liga last season, Eder Militao has broken into the Brazil side and figures to be Madrid captain someday. Ancelotti has flirted with the idea of playing Militao at right-back to make room for Antonio Rudiger, but he is best used in the middle.

Getty ImagesCB: David Alaba

Is there a position he can't play? David Alaba is arguably one of the most versatile footballers out there, and could quite comfortably slot in anywhere across the backline. But he's best used as a left-sided centre-back — and has excelled there for two years now.