Alright, so let me tell you how I put together that Granada vs Real Madrid predicted lineup thing I shared today. Seriously, it seemed simple at first, just list some names, right? Boy was I wrong.
Starting Off
Honestly, I just woke up thinking about this match – big derby vibes, everyone talking about it online. Figured, hey, fans wanna know who might play, so why not try guessing? Seemed useful. Jumped onto my laptop first thing, coffee in hand, already spilled some. Typical.
Started poking around usual places:
- Checked their last match lineups: Real Madrid against that other team, what was it… Bilbao? Yeah. Scrolled through like three different news sites, clicking tabs like crazy. Found the lineups, wrote down the main starters on a messy notebook page. Pen ran out of ink halfway, had to find another one.
- Looked for injury news or gossip: “Is anyone hurt? Suspended?” Spent ages on fan forums and sports news pages. Saw some rumour about Vinicius maybe having a niggle, another site said he trained fine. Total headache trying to figure out what’s real or just people talking. Almost lost track.
- Searched training pics: Seriously, scanned through blurry photos released by the clubs. “Is that Kroos back in training? Oh wait, is that guy even Ancelotti?” Half the time, hard to tell who’s who. Found one pic, had to zoom way in – nope, wrong player. Wasted like 20 minutes on that rabbit hole.
The Annoying Bits
This is where it got tough. Finding stuff wasn’t hard, but making sense of it? Ugh.
- Contradictions everywhere: One forum said Lunin was starting for sure. Another site claimed Kepa was back. Like, which is it?! Had to dig deeper, looked up stats on who played recently and press conference hints – if you can call those vague answers “hints”. Manager speak is its own language, man.
- Formations mess: Would Ancelotti stick with the same shape? Or change it for Granada? Saw different tactical sites suggesting different setups. Felt like juggling. Tried to remember who played where last time, scribbled arrows and notes all over my page. Looked like a spiderweb.
- “Expected” vs “Confirmed”: Had to keep reminding myself – this is a guess, not the official sheet. Easy to mix up rumours with likely picks. Double-checked sources I kinda trust for these predictions, ignored the super wild shouts.
Putting It Together
Finally had enough scraps of info. Started building the list:
- Goalkeeper: Leaned towards Lunin because he started last time. Kepa gossip felt stale. Went with it.
- Defense: Big question was who replaces the suspended player? Saw chatter about Nacho stepping in. Other options seemed less likely. Added him, hoping the suspension news hadn’t changed.
- Midfield: Fede Valverde? Absolutely. Kroos? Probably. But that third spot… Modric, Camavinga? Felt shaky. Checked recent minutes, Camavinga played a lot, Modric rested recently. Took a gamble on Modric.
- Attack: If Vinicius is fit, he plays. End of. Benzema slot… obviously. The right? Rodrygo seems nailed on lately. Put ’em down.
- Granada Side: Harder, less attention. Focused on key players always starting when fit. Their striker usually plays if he’s able. Assumed he was.
Sweated over the bench too. Who’s the usual backup keeper? Who are the common late subs? Jotted down the names that kept popping up in recent reports.
And there it was – my messy, coffee-stained, probably-wrong-but-maybe-a-bit-right predicted list. Posted it quick before I second-guessed everything. Phew. Now, let’s see what happens when the real teams come out!
