Real Madrid travel to London to take on the Tottenham Hotspur in Wembley. Here are three things to watch ahead of the big Champions League match.
Can Real Madrid find their missing intensity?
Zinedine Zidane’s favorite buzzword to describe every time Real Madrid slept-walked their way through a match last season was “intensity.”
Well, the intensity problems that plagued the lacklustre Madrid performances during the first part of last season have once again reared their ugly head. Madrid have been poor throughout much of their opening La Liga campaign, capped off by a loss against newly promoted side Girona on Sunday.
Both with the heavily rotated side in the Copa del Rey against Fuenlabrada, and in the full-strength squad against Girona, Real Madrid looked lethargic. The intensity that Madrid showed in the run up to the historic La Liga / Champions League double, the same intensity which Madrid showed in the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona, has now seemed to vanish into thin air.
The Champions League is Real Madrid’s signature tournament. Hopefully the loss against Girona will wake up this Real Madrid squad. Given Borussia Dortmund’s struggle against APOEL in the last Champions League matchweek, a draw against Tottenham in the Bernabéu was not a terrible result. But nevertheless, Real Madrid don’t want to tempt fate when everything else is going poorly. Madrid’s La Liga title hopes are already in serious jeopardy. That means Los Blancos may have to take the Champions League as their best opportunity for serious silverware this season.
A big result against Tottenham could go a long way to dispelling the fears that are currently being sowed amongst large groups of the fans and media. Real Madrid need a win, and to get that win, they’ll need to rediscover their lost intensity.
Will the goalkeepers put on another show?
The first leg between Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur ended 1-1, but don’t let the lack of clean sheets fool you: that match was a true battle of the goalkeepers.
Hugo Lloris put up a display for the ages. His point-blank foot-save against Karim Benzema’s headed attempt was something truly out of this world (if not a bit lucky). He seemed locked in an eternal duel with Cristiano Ronaldo, who could only find the back of the net after a penalty kick.
Hugo Lloris 🇫🇷 VS Real Madrid.
— French Football 🇫🇷 (@FranceEdition) October 22, 2017
Hugo Boss 😎https://t.co/7cfo5ZOprT
Keylor Navas also put on a spectacular performance. While Tottenham were not as dominant in possession as Real Madrid, nor did they put as many shots on target, they were still incredibly dangerous on the break. Time after time, Navas was called into duty to save Real Madrid’s blushes.
If Hugo Lloris can have another huge game, Real Madrid may find themselves in trouble in London. And, unfortunately, Keylor Navas may not even be able to make an appearance, as his return from injury is still uncertain.
Speaking of which…
How much will injuries affect Real Madrid?
Real Madrid’s seemingly never-ending injury crisis has not yet, well… ended. Zidane still isn’t anywhere close to his full-strength squad.
Gareth Bale, Dani Carvajal, Keylor Navas, Isco, Raphael Varane, and Mateo Kovacic all missed training ahead of the match against Tottenham. While Bale and Carvajal were struggling hard to return against Tottenham, it looks like both players will ultimately miss out. This means Bale will have missed both of his opportunities to play against Tottenham, his former club. It’s also way too early to expect to see Dani Carvajal or Mateo Kovacic back.
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Keylor Navas was one of Madrid’s best players in the first leg against Tottenham, but Los Blancos will most likely have to call upon Kiko Casilla to play between the sticks. Kiko Casilla is fine, but he’s no Navas, so this is still a major downgrade at that position.
That’s especially troubling given that Los Blancos will likely be without their best defensive player of the season in Raphael Varane. Varane suffered an injury and had to be replaced for the second half in Madrid’s loss to Girona.
And, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Zidane now has to deal with a possible injury to Isco. Isco limped down the tunnel at the end of Madrid’s match to Girona. While he told the press afterwards that it was just a knock and that he will be ready to play against Spurs, Zidane may still be risking it if he decides to play Isco after his injury scare.
Zidane has his work cut out for him. We’ll see whether he can once again get some effective rotations going, or whether Madrid will sink further into their crisis.
Next: Player Ratings from Real Madrid's 2-1 loss to Girona