Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine against Osasuna
CF Karim Benzema
Real Madrid need better from Karim Benzema; it’s as simple as that. Benzema has clearly been affected by Eden Hazard‘s injury, but there’s a major drop in the team’s overall form whenever Benz isn’t scoring goals or getting into games.
The former Lyon man scored the goal against Atletico last weekend, but before that, he hadn’t scored in league play since Dec. 16. Plenty of forwards, such as the Premier League’s leading scorer Jamie Vardy, have scoring droughts, but when Benzema has trouble getting into threatening positions, Real suffer even more. They are overly reliant on Benzema for goals.
Without a solution in place, Benzema has to step up. He hasn’t attempted more than two shots in a La Liga game in 2020, so the service must also get better.
RW Lucas Vazquez
Lucas Vazquez will likely draw the start against Osasuna, who boast one of Europe’s most talented left backs in Pervis Estupinan. Real Madrid fans are likely well aware of Estupinan’s quality, as the Watford loanee had a strong outing the first time these two teams squared off in 2019-2020.
Lately, Vazquez has shown his worth to the club after more criticism from fans, and he’ll need to provide quality crosses in this game. Vazquez is paid for all the little things he does, and he has plenty of technical quality with his deliveries.
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Real will need to see that quality in the final third shine through, since Vazquez will find space at a premium against Estupinan, who has recorded 12 tackles in his last four league games.