Real Madrid will travel to struggling Atheltic Bilbao Saturday looking to keep up their success in La Liga. Here are three things to watch for in the match.
Can Karim Benzema keep up his goalscoring run?
Karim Benzema is on a bit of a goalscoring streak not only this season, but also over the last two seasons in the San Mamés stadium.
Benz has scored three goals in Real’s last two trips to Bilbao (both wins) and will be looking to keep that streak alive. Benz managed a goal in Madrid’s 3-2 win over Malaga last week and has scored three goals and added an assist in the last two matches he has featured in.
It will be very interesting to see if he can keep both of these streaks alive. It might actually prove vital to Real Madrid’s success not only in this match but over the course of the season as whenever Benzema scores, goods things happen.
With Karim a threat in front of goal, the pressure is taken off Ronaldo and more space is available to the Portuguese beast.
Will Sergio Ramos be 100%?
Sergio Ramos has missed three matches and nearly two full weeks after fracturing his nose against Atletico Madrid, but he has been cleared to make his return to against Bilbao.
Ramos tried to continue playing against Atleti after being kicked in the face, but was forced off at halftime as a precaution. Now sporting an NBA-like face mask, the captain should be good for tomorrow’s match.
But will he be 100%?
While the injury wasn’t too serious, a fractured nose is not something that can be ignored. With the type of aggressive player Ramos is, he will need to be a little more cautious than usual in order to not reinjure himself.
The mask should help with protection, but it adds a layer of distraction and could be annoying. Keep a close eye on how Sergio plays.
Will Zidane play his best squad? Or will he continue rotating?
With a congested schedule coming for Real over the next three weeks, will Zidane elect to rotate his squad again against a team in 16th in the table? Or will he put out his best squad and rest his team in the final group stage match of the Champions League on Wednesday?
I think there’s a good chance Zizou puts out his best team in this match and will elect to play the “B Team” against Dortmund in a match that doesn’t matter.
Real Madrid needs a win and a convincing win at that. The confidence around the club amongst the fans and the players is still low, so a multi-goal win here is crucial.
Hopefully, Real can keep up their momentum in this match and keep pace with Barcelona.
Next: Friday’s Real Links: So many targets