Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Athletic Club

The month of April looks daunting for Real Madrid in both competitions that they are competing in. They face Manchester City twice in the month in the UCL while also taking on Barcelona and Real Sociedad in La Liga.

Tomorrow’s clash, which serves as the gateway to the decisive month, is a game no less in stature. After all, it sees the Merengues take on Athletic Club at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have regrouped after the two-week international break and are raring to go for the final stretch of the season.

However, the coach has some big decisions to take ahead of the team’s upcoming clash, especially considering the additions and subtractions from the squad.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Athletic Club.

A key player missing

Placed closely behind Girona on the points table, Athletic Club are no pushovers. The Basque side have been in fine form this season and are in the finals of the Copa del Rey, to be played next week.

Carlo Ancelotti thus stares a big challenge in the eye, one that is further complicated when the absence of Vinicius Jr. is accounted for.

The 23-year-old has not had the best of relationships with match officials over the years. The period just before the international break was perhaps his worst record on that front.

Vinicius was booked in four straight games before the start of the international break. Three of the aforementioned bookings came in La Liga, and he is now set to miss tomorrow’s clash through suspension.

The Brazilian has carried Real Madrid’s attack in recent games, and largely, throughout the campaign. Vinicius has scored a stunning six goals in the team’s last four appearances alone, proving that he is their most potent force in attack.

To play Athletic Club without his magic on the field, needless to say, will be a challenge for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. The plan appears to be to field Brahim Diaz in his place tomorrow, and it remains to be seen if the Moroccan star can recreate the same threat in the final third.

Cleared the suspension

If Vinicius Jr misses tomorrow’s game through suspension, Los Blancos have an equally vital hero returning from the same abyss.

Jude Bellingham, who should have been Real Madrid’s hero at Mestalla for scoring a last-gasp winner, was unfairly sent off for protesting against the referee’s blatant error.

The price he paid for an honest argument was 180 minutes on the sidelines. The English phenom was suspended for two games and thus sat out the Galacticos’ clashes against Osasuna and Celta Vigo.

Tomorrow, he will return to the field in La Liga for the first time since the debacle in Valencia and will look to do so with a bang.

Returning to his role in the attacking midfield, Bellingham will pull the strings in the final third for Los Blancos tomorrow. With Vinicius out through injury, he will have an added responsibility on his shoulders to pull the team through.

All eyes, thus, will be on Real Madrid’s most in-form player this season and his ability to come back stronger after two games on the sidelines. After all, Manchester City is lurking right around the corner.

Eyeing the big fish

Of all the opponents Real Madrid could have conjured from the UEFA Champions League draw, Manchester City was the last name the dressing room would have hoped for.

Pep Guardiola’s side, after all, are one of the biggest favourites to take home the European title after Los Blancos. The quarterfinal will thus eliminate the favourites in what is a difficult situation for both teams.

The first leg against the Premier League giants will be played at the Bernabeu in just over a week after tomorrow’s game. Considering that the clash against Valverde’s side is the team’s final game before the big face-off, a lot rides on tomorrow’s result.

Real Madrid have not been impressive on the field in 2024 despite the results suggesting otherwise. Ancelotti’s men have scraped past the finish lines more often than not, and it is only in the last two games that they have begun showing dominance.

It is thus critical that the men in white deliver against Athletic Club. Not only the result but the manner in which they dismantle one of Spain’s best sides will go a long way in boosting the dressing room’s morale ahead of what is the team’s biggest game of the season.