Real Madrid: 5 key players to watch against Espanyol

CB Raphael Varane

There hasn’t been a more impressive player over the last four games than Raphael Varane, who continues to show why he rivals Liverpool superstar Virgil van Dijk as the world’s best center back. Varane is easy to overlook, especially with Sergio Ramos also playing well and scoring two goals in four games, but opponents surely don’t underrate the France national team captain.

He will be going up against one of La Liga’s better striker partnerships in Wu Lei and Raul de Tomas, who have the ability to score goals against the run of play. Varane will need to be the one to stay back, win headers in the air, mop up long balls, and clear any loose balls that need to be taken care of. Lei and de Tomas love pouncing on defensive errors.

RB Dani Carvajal

Adrian Embarba is one of Espanyol’s best players. He has two goals and three assists this season, with WhoScored.com crediting him with 1.3 key passes per game, 1.3 fouls drawn per game, and 1.4 dribbles completed per game.

Dani Carvajal will need to be at his best defensively against the threat of Embarba, who will look to link up with Wu Lei and Raul de Tomas, who have eight goals combined. Embarba will do his best to create chances and run at Carvajal. The Spanish fullback is holding up under the weight of being the team’s lone right back currently, and he’s been one of Real’s most impressive players since La Liga’s restart.