Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine against Granada

Real Madrid can bring themselves another step closer to a La Liga title by beating Granada.

It’s a short turnaround from beating Deportivo Alaves 2-0 on Friday to facing Granada on Monday, but Real Madrid will still be heavy favorites at Los Carmenes. Granada are one of the better teams in the league and in ninth place overall, but Real did beat them 4-2 in October at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Riding a streak of five straight clean sheets, Los Blancos and superstar goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois are in incredible form. Here are five players who will need to be at their best in order for Real to scoop up another victory.

LB Ferland Mendy

Arguably the best player on the pitch in the win over Alaves, left back Ferland Mendy could have another huge game against Granada on Monday. He will go up against right wing back Victor Diaz, who has been one of Granada’s best players this season with five assists.

Since Marcelo is done for the year, it all comes down to Mendy putting in world-class performances each week on both ends of the pitch. The Lyon signing is more than capable of meeting those expectations. He is a wonderful player who is a wall defensively and can beat defenders one-on-one himself. Look no further than the penalty he won in the opening minutes of the victory over Alaves.