Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine against Getafe

Real Madrid are gearing up to face Getafe in their first game after the holiday break, and here are five players who must shine for Los Blancos on Matchweek 19.

Although Real Madrid played extremely well in their final two games of 2019 against two difficult opponents in FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, they were forced to settle for two scoreless draws. Los Blancos’ woes in front of goal have been the biggest storyline heading into 2020, as Eden Hazard‘s work in transition has been sorely missed.

Real Madrid will undoubtedly be the strongest team in La Liga with Hazard back, because while they are behind Barcelona in the league table, they outplayed their biggest rivals on the road without the Belgian superstar.

Hazard won’t be back for Matchweek 19 at Getafe, but Real are fully expected to pick up all three points without him. In order for the win to happen, though, here are five players on Los Merengues who must shine.

CAM Toni Kroos

One of the best attacking midfielders in the world, Toni Kroos leads all players in the Champions League in key passes per game by a full pass, per WhoScored.com. He hasn’t been half bad in La Liga either, as the Germany international is putting up a team-high 2.4 key passer per game.

Getafe will look to congest the field against Real Madrid, challenging Los Blancos to create opportunities and force the issue. They will test Madrid’s goal-scoring weakness over the last three league games, which means Kroos will be tasked as the main creative outlet with Eden Hazard still out.

Kroos’ longshots could come in handy, though. Real may struggle to create high-quality chances, but if Kroos can connect with one of his trademark first-time finesse efforts from beyond the blue, Los Blancos should be in business.