Real Madrid: 3 bold predictions against Sociedad in Copa del Rey
Real Madrid will defend the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Sociedad for the second time this season, and they will be hoping for a performance on Thursday that is as scintillating as their 3-1 win in November.
After a 3-1 win over Unionistas de Salamanca in the opening round and a 4-0 blowout victory over Real Zaragoza last week, Real Madrid are riding high as they enter the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey against Real Sociedad.
But even though Sociedad are coming off a loss to Leganes – in which they rested key players like Mikel Oyarzabal and Los Blancos’ loanee Martin Odegaard – they are an incredibly dangerous team. La Real will be out for revenge after being outclassed by Madrid in November at the Santiago Bernabeu; knocking out La Liga’s top team from the Copa del Rey would be massive for a Sociedad squad full of young stars.
Madrid are the top team in Spain for a reason, though. It is hard to envision Sociedad pulling off the win. Here are three bold predictions for the favored side in Thursday’s exciting clash.
1. Vinicius Junior will take over
Eden Hazard may be healthy enough to play on Thursday after returning to practice last week. Real Madrid have wisely played it safe with their superstar player, as aggravating Hazard’s ankle for short-term gain could be disastrous for the club’s overall outlook, especially in the 2019-2020 Champions League campaign.
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Therefore, expect to see Vinicius Junior starting. Vinicius was sublime against Real Zaragoza last week, and he was equally great in the second half of El Derbi after being a much-needed half-time substitute.
Diego Simeone‘s side looked scared against Vinicius, whose genius pass created the opening goal. Vini’s confidence on the ball is a sight to behold. Sociedad have weaknesses on defense, and it’s unlikely they’ll be able to deal with Vinicius’ dribbling ability, work rate, and teasing passes around the penalty area.
2. A clean sheet
Real Madrid were sublime defensively against Real Sociedad in November. The away side managed to score an early goal to take a 1-0 lead, but that was due to an uncharacteristically poor back pass from Sergio Ramos, who has been in excellent form since then.
His center back partner, Raphael Varane, has been even better. You can make the case for him being the most in-form defender in the world right now.
As such, Los Blancos will keep Sociedad out of the back of the net on Thursday. That’s a bold prediction for sure, but Real’s defense has hit another level of quality. Ferland Mendy is playing at a world-class level at left back, Dani Carvajal is solid on the right, the center backs are the best in the world, and Thibaut Courtois has elevated his game to new heights for Los Blancos this season.
A clean sheet is difficult against Odegaard and Co., but it’s a feat Real will accomplish at the White House this week.
3. Casemiro will record five tackles
Casemiro has confirmed his status as the world’s best defensive midfielder this season, and he continued his excellent form in January. The Brazilian played a key role in Real’s win over Atletico on Saturday, but he will have a more difficult task in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals against Martin Odegaard.
Expect Casemiro to rise to the occasion.
Casemiro has recorded five tackles in a La Liga contest six times this season, including 17 tackles in the space of two games back in October against Mallorca and Leganes. Fede Valverde’s emergence and even better work from the center backs has reduced the strain on Casemiro to have such high tackle counts, but he’ll be more active than ever on Thursday against the midfield of Odegaard and Mikel Merino.
A vintage Casemiro display would go a long way in securing a highly impressive clean sheet for Los Blancos, and I wouldn’t put it past Casemiro to have more than five tackles and a couple of interceptions in another superstar level performance.