Real Madrid vs. Sevilla looks like the biggest game in La Liga this week, and here are three players Los Blancos must keep a close eye on this Sunday.
Now more than ever, Zinedine Zidane is feeling the heat. Although Real Madrid are third in the league table despite a bevy of injuries, the club’s manager is already mired in negative rumors. Names like Jose Mourinho, Raul, and even Xabi Alonso have been thrown out as possible replacements in the days before Zidane prepares to take on the manager he himself replaced in Julen Lopetegui.
Interestingly enough, Lopetegui is off to an incredible start at Sevilla, just one season after failing in the Champions League and finishing third in La Liga at Real. Lopetegui’s Sevilla are first in La Liga, as they have surrendered just one goal in four games.
Sevilla will present a unique early-season test for Real Madrid, and here are three players Zidane must prepare for this Sunday.
CM Ever Banega
The Argentinian midfielder has been a fixture for Sevilla over the past several years, as he is one of the most creative midfielders in the Spanish league. Banega has been his typical self this season, leading Sevilla in both key passes and overall passes per game. A skilled dribbler, Banega is also second in the team in this statistic behind standout right winger Lucas Ocampos.
Banega is an even more dangerous proposition for Real this week than usual, because the club still only has three healthy midfielders in Casemiro, Toni Kroos, and James Rodriguez. All three will be fatigued after being run ragged and outclassed by PSG’s superstar trio of Idrissa Gueye, Marco Verratti, and Marquinhos.
Against a player with Banega’s experience, creativity, and eye for the killer pass, Real must be on their guard. Zidane has to come up with the proper plan to counter Sevilla’s midfield on Sunday, because failure to do so could result in another disaster for Los Blancos.
LB Sergio Reguilon
It says a lot about Reguilon’s talent that he has carved a regular role for himself in Sevilla’s starting lineup over competent veteran Sergio Escudero. Through four appearances, Reguilon has a goal and an assist with a passing accuracy of 83.2%, as per WhoScored.com.
Reguilon has become a key part of a Sevilla defense that, again, has surrendered just one goal this season. The defense is the major reason why Sevilla are undefeated through the first four games of this year’s La Liga campaign.
Gareth Bale will be a unique test for Reguilon, as he is a physically imposing player with explosive pace and a desire to always cut inside in a quest for goals. Although Bale failed to score against PSG, he had a brace against Villarreal and has shown signs of rounding back into form. If Reguilon can keep him quiet, the Real Madrid loanee will further stake his claim towards stardom.
It’s crazy to think that Real have Marcelo and Ferland Mendy at left back with Reguilon on the books, too.
CM Joan Jordan
Joan Jordan is an all-action midfielder who came off of an excellent season at Eibar, and he’s picked up where he left off at Sevilla. Purchased for 14 million euros this summer, Jordan has been worth more than every penny for Sevilla, as he’s been arguably their best player this season and a huge key to victory.
Jordan’s work on set pieces will be dangerous to Real, who will need Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane at their sparkling best for his corners.
In four appearances, Jordan has already scored twice, meaning he’s accounting for 40-percent of Sevilla’s goals in the early going. Combine that with his average of two key passes per game and 1.8 dribbles per game, and you have a midfielder who will also cause Kroos and Casemiro loads of issues defensively.
Defensively, Jordan and Banega are players whom James can exploit, but offensively, Jordan has the vision and shooting range to have a standout performance against Real.