Modric and Kroos, 147 days later

An inseparable couple has not seen each other on the pitch for 147 days at the start of a match. Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, who have spent more than five years marking an era in the Real Madrid midfield with Casemiro, will be together again in Ancelotti's eleven. Although they shared the last 24 minutes of the match against the Sheriff, they had not accompanied each other in the starting position since May 9, against Sevilla at Di Stéfano. Ancelotti was precisely the first coach to have them together, in the European Super Cup seven years ago, against the same team from Seville. Since then they have met on the pitch in 233 games. Almost 284 hours (17,030 minutes) close to each other.

The technician confirmed yesterday Saturday that the German, 31, will be starting this Sunday afternoon in Cornellà. A pubalgia has taken him out of the game at the start of the season. A campaign in which he will dedicate himself body and soul to Madrid after leaving the German team after the European Championship. It will be at the full and exclusive disposal of Ancelotti, who will now have 15 days ahead to work with that of Greifswald.

With Modric, on the other hand, Carletto you have already started the minute management task. The Croatian, just turned 36, remains faithful to his team and after missing the commitments of the September break due to injury, he now returns this next window for the World Cup qualifying matches against Cyprus and Slovakia. Ancelotti gave him a break from the start against Mallorca and Sheriff and could not count on him against Levante and Betis. Except for the win against the vermilion, Madrid have been stuck in the other three games in which the Croatian has not started.

Without Kroos and Modric, the white team loses clairvoyance. This season the Balkan is the white player who passes the most per game on the opposite side and in the last third of the pitch. The German is, since he signed as a Real Madrid player, the second midfielder with the best passing success (93.1%) in all of Europe. Today, Madrid recovers its compass.