The Real Champs
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Real Madrid: 3 keys to victory at Athletic Bilbao

By Nithanth Ravindran

MADRID, SPAIN - DECEMBER 22: Luka Jovic of Real Madrid battle for the ball with Unai Nunez of Athletic Club Bilbao during the Liga match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao on December 22, 2019 in Madrid, Spain.
MADRID, SPAIN - DECEMBER 22: Luka Jovic of Real Madrid battle for the ball with Unai Nunez of Athletic Club Bilbao during the Liga match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao on December 22, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. /
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Éder Militão of Real Madrid
Eder Militao of Real Madrid (Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

2. Eder Militao and Fede Valverde

French center-back Raphael Varane has been left out of the squad as a precaution after he suffered a blow to his neck vs Getafe. Zidane has already stated that Eder Militao will be taking the Frenchman’s place in the starting eleven.T

he Brazilian will have to step up quickly and help Sergio Ramos in defense as he did vs Getafe. Against Getafe, Ramos put in a masterclass once Varane left to fill his void. Militao performed admirably considering he has had very limited minutes this season.

He will have to improve even more as it will be too much for even Ramos to put a huge shift in again so soon. If Militao performs well tomorrow, Madrid will be able to put another defensive wall.

Another player who’s going to be important is Fede Valverde. Both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric weren’t up to the mark in the last game. While Modric looked outmuscled, Kroos seemed tired and misplaced some easy passes.

Valverde, on the other hand, hasn’t looked good since the restart but put in his best performance vs Getafe. He looked to have gotten back to his pre-lockdown levels. This will be a huge boost for Real Madrid, as that means one of Modric or Kroos can rest.

The Uruguayan will be important to help dominate the midfield and deny space for the opposition midfielders.

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