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Style of play
The La Liga side boast bigger stars than the Premier League side, but that doesn’t mean that a victory for them is assured.
La Liga XI
The Spanish side will play a 4-3-3 formation, with their defensive midfielder Sergio Busquests sitting back and providing defensive cover to prevent being hit on the counter as their full backs will push forward. With Modric and Iniesta in the side, they will easily have the bigger share of possession. Modric completed 90% of his 1967 passes last season, while Iniesta completed 91% of his 2481 passes. [Source: Squawka]. Their midfield partner Busquets has an even better completion percentage with 92% percentage of his passes finding a team mate.
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With Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale playing on the wings, there is no shortage of pace in the side either. Bale and Ronaldo will come up against Zabaleta and Baines. These full backs love going forward and this will leave behind plenty of space for the two to exploit.
Lionel Messi will lead the attack and he will be a handful for Terry and Kompany. Even if Messi doesn’t score, his presence up front will keep the defenders occupied and free up spaces for players like Ronaldo, Bale and Iniesta to exploit.
Premier League XI
For the Premier League side, John Terry and Vincent Kompany who have played against the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Bale before, and have successfully kept them at bay will need to be at their best. They will need help from their midfield which means Steven Gerrard will have to sit back and see that none of the opposition players run into any space left by Kompany or Terry while they are busy with the other players.
With the full backs Zabaleta and Baines going forward, Hazard and Di Maria who will be playing on the wings will need to track back and provide cover for them to try and prevent counter attacks. Yaya Toure will play as a box to box midfielder and his energy and physical presence will be vital to hold up play and start attacks from the back when the Premier League side wins the ball.
Jose Mourinho is no stranger to playing against teams who dominate possession and he will demand a good pressing game from his players, including the striker Aguero. Aguero will have to use his pace, dribbling and hold up play to good effect to help players like Di Maria and Hazard to push up the field and try and score with a counter attack.
The Premier League side will be a big threat from set pieces and this will be another weapon they can use effectively. They have players like Gerrard, Baines and Hazard who can provide good crosses into the box which players like Kompany, Terry and Yaya Toure can attack.
Prediction
Overall the La Liga team looks like the stronger outfit. Both teams have managers who like to work with a good defense, so the match may not be a goal feast. Going with the usual suspects Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to score for the La Liga side and Eden Hazard to score one for the Premier League side.
Score: La Liga XI 2-1 Premier League XI
Who do you think will win if there were a match between the two teams? Who do you think should or shouldn’t have been on the list?
