Real Madrid are flying high after posting a second straight clean sheet victory over a previously undefeated La Liga team, and they’ll get another boost ahead of their match against Atletico Madrid with Luka Modric and Isco set to return from injury.
Isco and Luka Modric have been out for the past few weeks due to injury, constraining the amount of depth Zinedine Zidane has had to work with in midfield. Those depth issues severely hurt Real in their Champions League opener against PSG, as they only had three healthy midfielders. This led to them being outclassed in a 3-0 loss by the stalwart trio of Marco Verratti, Idrissa Gueye, and Marquinhos.
But Real have since bounced back. Not only did they defeat Sevilla 1-0 at the Sanchez Pizjuan, but they also dominated Osasuna at home in mid-week 2-0. Neither Sevilla nor Osasuna could muster a shot on target, in spite of the fact that Zidane rotated young players like Eder Militao and Alvaro Odriozola in the home fixture vs. Osasuna.
Real Madrid have to like their chances on Saturday against Atletico Madrid, even though Atleti are their bitter rivals and by far their toughest test of the season so far. Part of the optimism has to do with the recent league performances, but another part is due to the boost Isco and Luka Modric are set to give this team.
According to Managing Madrid’s Lucas Navarrete, both Isco and Modric returned to practice on Thursday and will be available on Saturday against Atleti. They will join James Rodriguez, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, and youngster Fede Valverde in midfield, and with Modric and Isco back, that midfield suddenly looks like the best unit in La Liga.
It’s unclear how much Modric and Isco will be able to feature on Saturday, since Real should want to take things slowly with both players. At 34, Modric is still world class, but his age means that Zidane has to be even more cautious with the Croatian than with other players.
The depth alone should be a huge boost. Isco and Modric have the technical quality to make game-changing plays in an instant. While James has been locked in since Isco went down with an injury, you can never have enough playmakers in the lineup. Furthermore, Modric’s box-to-box ability and work ethic in midfield is always an asset. At his best, he is one of Real’s biggest game-changers.