After a convincing hammering of Celta Vigo by four goals last weekend, Real Madrid take to the field for one last time tomorrow before the international break.
Real Madrid’s opponents for Saturday, Osasuna, have not had it easy this season in La Liga. They currently sit in tenth place on the league standings with 36 points, with ten wins and 12 defeats after 28 games.
When the two teams met earlier this season, Carlo Ancelotti’s men put four goals past them courtesy of a Jude Bellingham brace. Now playing at El Sadar, the story is entirely different.
Los Blancos do have a good record at the Pamplona-based stadium, but Osasuna have also won five of their last six fixtures at home. With Real Madrid also far from their best, the match-up on Saturday will be interesting to witness.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Osasuna vs Real Madrid.
The serious business must begin
Real Madrid’s season so far has seen the team lock horns with many a challenging opposition. Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, and Napoli have all given Los Blancos a run for their money, but the serious business is yet to come.
The UEFA Champions League draw held earlier today had an unpleasant surprise for the Real Madrid dressing room as they were drawn up against Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the prestigious competition.
Indeed, the Merengues are highly competitive and will fancy the challenge, but there is no denying that they would have preferred the fixture to be deeper in the competition.
One of Real Madrid and Manchester City must now bow out of the competition, and Los Blancos’ recent form is worrying on that front. After all, they have been far from convincing in recent games.
Real Madrid’s 4-0 win over Celta Vigo last weekend ended the team’s run of five tight games and is a start to them playing free-flowing football once more.
However, if they wish to challenge the defending European champions in less than a month, there is still a long way to go in terms of quality. Time is running out, and a dominant win against Osasuna tomorrow will go a long way in regaining the momentum.
Brahim’s moment
Despite having scored a perfectly legal winner in Real Madrid’s clash against Valencia earlier this month, star midfielder Jude Bellingham was exiled for two games after being shown a red card.
The referee on the night, Gil Manzano, sent the youngster off for dissent, but his anger was perfectly reasonable given how the team had just been robbed in clear daylight.
Bellingham thus sat out Los Blancos’ clash against Celta Vigo last weekend, and his two-game penalty sees him miss tomorrow’s game as well. With the first-choice attacking midfielder out, Brahim Diaz is expected to take charge in his place.
The 24-year-old new Moroccan international has been in superb touch this season, scoring four goals and providing two assists in just 23 appearances for Los Blancos. His statistics are more impressive considering that he averages just 46 minutes per game.
Brahim started, and impressed, when Real Madrid took down Celta Vigo by a 4-0 scoreline last weekend, and will look to do the same tomorrow as he is guaranteed a starting position.
After all, competing with an in-form Jude Bellingham is demanding and requires any competitor to stay on his toes at any instant.
A strong performance at El Sadar may not be enough for Diaz to overtake Bellingham on the pecking order, but will go a long way in ensuring him regular starts and more minutes off the bench.
The right way to sign off
The past four months have been less stressful for players given the lack of international football. After the hiatus in November, there has been no break from club football allowing players sufficient rest between games.
The international window, however, returns later this month. Real Madrid’s clash against Osasuna will be the team’s final game before they disperse, and there is thus a lot riding on tomorrow’s result.
For starters, Real Madrid’s schedule after the return of club football is far from easy. With Athletic Club, Manchester City, Mallorca, Barcelona, and Real Sociedad all scheduled in April, Los Blancos will be put to a real test.
While their UCL clash is a story of its own, the key fixtures in La Liga could end up making or breaking their dream of lifting the title. Needless to say, dropping points just before the break will not help their cause.
It is thus essential that Los Blancos end the club stretch on a high before players head to their respective national teams, and a win over Osasuna would be the best way to do so.