RealGM

starting out with traditional back four, orchestrated by two experienced world class center backs, i don't expect lasso's team to have many scoring chances due to shoddy construction of his midfield, but when they do occur my cbs have the quality to thwart em. they are also excellent passers that can jump start an offense effectively. lasso doesnt have the horses to be effective on the flanks but two of the best fullbacks in epl last season will be able deal with any threat.

middle of the pitch i have confidence in my old farts who quietly had very good seasons and wont be fazed in knockout games. xabi was probably the best defensive midfielder in bundesliga since vidal and gundogan mostly played more centrally, he'll make sure there are very few chances created in front of the box by a midfield that is not very creative in the first place. similarly yaya had some of the best performance ratings among dmcs in epl and among central midfielders in champions league where he was deployed further and his versatility will come in handy as he will move frequently according to game flow and score. opponents lack of threat in the middle of the pitch-gomes, oscar, candreva, cazorla dont even have double digit assists between them domestically-will allow rakitic and yaya to spend less energy defensively and allow them to create more opportunities with their crisp passing. gomes and candreva also are defensive liabilities, which means busquets going to have to cover for at least one of them and frequently lose his position.

once midfield wins the ball, we'll take advantage opponents lack of quality out wide and get the ball to two quick excellent dribblers on the wings with occasional through balls from rakitic from the middle so that busquets doesnt dare get loose. ronaldo will cut inside frequently and both him and costa will target varane frequently as he seems to be allergic to diving into tackles for the past year.

Subs: Lucas Moura, Kevin Gameiro, Ousmane Dembélé and Ross Barkley.

Changes vs Baphomet:

1. Di Maria will play as a right winger. On offense, he will look to create opportunities for himself or for others either through the wing or by cutting in towards the middle. On defense, he will track back to help our midfield by hassling opposing players and looking to win the ball back so he can then quickly start a counter attack.

2. Fabinho will play as a defensive midfielder. On offense, he will keep it simple by holding on to the ball and then looking to pass it off to our more creative players without going too far up the pitch. On defense, his job will be to protect our defensive line by closing down upon opposing attackers quickly and not giving them any space to create any opportunities on offense. As the best defensive midfielder in Ligue 1 last season, Fabinho will have the added responsibility of man marking Suarez and making sure that he has no space and no service from which to create any offensive opportunities.

3. Saul will have the added responsibility of tightly marking James by suffocating him with immense defensive pressure and not allowing him to create any offensive opportunities.

Subs: Umtiti, Luiz Gustavo, Pastore, Berardi