Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine in January 2020

Real Madrid will likely spend another month without Eden Hazard, but they have a realistic shot at winning every game this month.

It has been a grueling season for Real Madrid, but they are about to get a trio of injured players back. James Rodriguez looks ready to be in the squad on Jan. 4 against Getafe after suffering a knee injury during the November international break, Marcelo looks poised to face Valencia in the Spanish Supercup semifinals this month, and Lucas Vazquez is nearing a return from a freak injury while lifting weights.

Eden Hazard will likely be out until Feb. 1 when Real Madrid face Atletico Madrid, but the other returns give Zinedine Zidane and the fanbase plenty of optimism for a strong January. The theme, though, is goals, as Real are coming off back-to-back scoreless draws to FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, whom they both thoroughly outplayed.

Here are five players who must shine in order for Real to win all four of their scheduled games in January 2020.

RW Gareth Bale

It has been a nondescript season for Gareth Bale, who finds himself mired in transfer rumors again. But don’t expect him to be sold, since Real Madrid still need a goal-scoring threat on the wings. Bale hasn’t carried a goal-scoring threat since his brace against Villarreal early in the season, but you never know when the beast will awaken.

Hopefully, Bale has his wake-up moment in January, because he was awful in December. He didn’t look like a starting-caliber player for Los Merengues, nor did he prove to be an impact sub when coming off the bench. Better days are ahead for Bale, though, whose class isn’t in question.