Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine against Celta Vigo

DM Casemiro

Speaking of Casemiro, the star center midfielder will undoubtedly have his hands full against Celta Vigo, whose star midfielder Rafinha can be dangerous in the middle of the park. He and fellow midfielder Okau Yokuslu are quality players for very different reasons.

Whereas Yokuslu is a solid holding midfielder who reads the game well, averaging 1.4 interceptions per game, Rafinha is dangerous on the ball. Casemiro will need to focus on preventing Rafinha from getting momentum and running at the defense, and he’ll also have to be careful not to foul a player drawing more than three fouls per game; Rafinha can create dangerous set pieces for Celta.

If Casemiro has another dominant performance in the middle of the park, Real Madrid are all but guaranteed to come away with another clean sheet. He has been putting on consistent Man of the Match-caliber performances all season long.

AM Isco

Depending on how Zinedine Zidane lines his team up, Isco could play as a “hole” player with Karim Benzema, a left attacking midfielder, or a traditional No. 10. Isco has, at various points this season, thrived in all three roles.

After a couple of downers, Isco had his best performance of 2019-2020 yet on Matchday 23, scoring the 1-1 goal for Los Blancos and nearly scoring later in the match. Isco consistently made smart decisions on the ball and was by far the most dangerous player on the pitch, especially when Real Madrid were struggling to get into the game.

The 27-year-old never stopped fighting for his team, and after grabbing his first goal of the season, the Spanish playmaker will be hungry for more on Matchday 24. Look for Isco to make another goal contribution and to dominate Celta, who simply don’t have the talent to hang with a dribbler like him.