Mesut Ozil To Return To Real Madrid Starting XI In Copa del Rey Final Against Barcelona

Playmaker Mesut Ozil will return to the Real Madrid starting XI again when the Spanish powerhouse take on domestic rivals Barcelona in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey final, AS reports.

The Germany international was dropped for Saturday’s La Liga clash against the Catalans due to tactical reasons, but impressed after coming off the bench on the hour mark.

Ozil’s good performance at Santiago Bernabeu at the weekend didn’t go unnoticed by head coach Jose Mourinho and the Portuguese tactician will reward his midfield creator with a starting berth on Wednesday.

The return of Ozil could cost French attacker Karim Benzema a spot in the side. The former Lyon striker failed to impress in the 1-1 draw and may consequently be axed from the starting line-up.

The 22-year-old Ozil joined Madrid from Werder Bremen in the summer of 2010 and has quickly developed into an important first team member at his new club. He currently sits 37th in the Castrol EDGE Rankings.