Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine against Osasuna

Real Madrid are coming off their worst defensive performance under Zinedine Zidane and are in need of a bounce-back victory against Osasuna on Sunday. Here are five players who must shine in order for Los Blancos to secure all three points.

Without Raphael Varane, Ferland Mendy, Dani Carvajal, and Casemiro in the starting lineup, Real Madrid were rocked at the White House by a very “game” Real Sociedad side. Martin Odegaard, Alexander Isak, and the rest of La Real’s attack ran rampant on Madrid, who fell short in their valiant comeback attempt.

The 4-3 loss at home means that Los Blancos are now out of the Copa del Rey. They must quickly regroup on Sunday against Osasuna, whom they defeated back in September 2-0 with their “B” team, thanks to wonderful goals from teenagers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.

Here are five players on Los Merengues who must shine on Sunday in order for the club to collect an important bounce-back victory in the league title race.

LW Vinicius Junior

The brightest spot in Real Madrid’s 4-3 loss to Real Sociedad, Vinicius Junior has been in the form of his life recently. It all started with a stellar performance against Real Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey last week, and he then made a fantastic appearance off the bench in El Derbi, creating the decisive second-half goal for Los Blancos.

Vinicius was arguably even better against Sociedad, constantly carving up the opposition defense on the ball. The 19-year-old is playing with incredible confidence, and he could really burn Osasuna’s defense down their right-hand flank. Osasuna are a good defensive team, but they don’t have the quality to cope with Vinicius on the ball. Nobody does. His vision, patience, and decision-making are all steadily improving.