Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine against Granada
FW Vinicius Junior
It will be interesting to see if Zinedine Zidane sticks with the 4-3-3 or rolls with the diamond. The former formation looks like a much better bet against Granada’s wide attacking formation, and it’s genuinely been more successful in most cases for Real in 2019-2020. But either way, Vinicius Junior should start, especially after not being in the starting XI against Athletic Bilbao or Deportivo Alaves in the last two games. Vinicius’ chances of starting go up in the case of a diamond, since he’s the best bet to partner up with Karim Benzema in the final third,
Rodrygo Goes showed a lot of talent and confidence when finally playing on the left side against Alaves, but he should get some rest. Vinicius has been playing at a high level throughout 2020, hitting higher levels than what he teased early in 2018.
The Brazilian teenager has become so much better at creating for others, in addition to embarrassing defenders with his skill and technique. Vinicius is one of the hardest-working players in European football, never ceasing to help out defensively, which will matter a whole lot against Victor Diaz and Antonio Puertas.
Real Madrid will need their full attacking firepower on Monday night, and Vinicius could have a Man of the Match performance similar to his back-to-back displays in wins over Real Sociedad and RCD Mallorca. When he’s on the pitch, he makes things happen and steals the show from everyone else.