Real Madrid: 3 keys to victory at Athletic Bilbao

Real Madrid travels away to San Mamés for the seventh of their eleven finals.

Los Blancos have done brilliantly so far since the restart and have managed to take a four-point lead at the top of the table. Real Madrid have played six games so far and won all six, scoring 12 goals and conceding just two.

Thanks to FC Barcelona only picking up six points out of the last twelve, Madrid has the top spot. Los Blancos now go into one of the toughest fixtures, if not the toughest, with a small four-point cushion.

This game will be the most difficult the Whites have played so far since the restart. It’s not just because of the quality of the opponents, but also because of the short rest period after the last game. Madrid plays Athletic Bilbao just 62 hours after facing Getafe. That’s less than the recommended turnaround time of 72 hours.

Here are the three keys to a victory vs Bilbao tomorrow:

1. Squad depth

A point touched upon before, something that is absolutely necessary to win this title will be Real Madrid’s squad depth. And this depth will be pushed to the very limit vs Bilbao.

As mentioned before, the Whites get a small duration of rest after the Getafe game. Los Blancos have already looked tired in the last couple of games and have had to work very hard for the last three wins.

The match vs Athletic will be even more difficult and the team will need to put in everything they have against Bilbao. Manager Zinedine Zidane will make some rotations here and there to ensure the team can play at their best.

Even with rotations, Zidane will have to use all his five substitutions, considering that the game will be played at two in the afternoon. The team is going to tire out even more in the hot sizzling temperature of Bilbao.

That is why Madrid’s squad depth will be more important than ever for this game.