Real Madrid hope Eden Hazard can play on Thursday

Real Madrid left winger Eden Hazard was in the squad but did not play against Granada.

Although Real Madrid left winger Eden Hazard made a surprising appearance off the bench in Friday’s 2-0 win over Deportivo Alaves, the Belgian superstar did not manage to get on the pitch in Monday night’s gritty 2-1 victory over Granada at Los Carmenes.

Hazard played a mere eight minutes against Alaves, drawing one foul, per WhoScored.com, but doing little else of note. The forward isn’t injured, per se, but he’s dealing with some issues that could leave him vulnerable to an injury if he were to get fouled harshly.

As such, Real Madrid played it safe with Hazard at Granada. He was in the squad, but Real did not put him in, using just two of their substitutes as they held onto a 2-1 lead in the second half.

But according to manager Zinedine Zidane, Madridistas could see Hazard on the field this Thursday when Los Blancos face another difficult opponent in Villarreal. Recall that Madrid needed two Gareth Bale goals – his only goals of the La Liga season – to pick up a 2-2 draw against the now fifth-place Yellow Submarine.

Per Infinite Madrid, Zidane said that in order for Hazard to play, he must be in top condition. Hazard is “not totally well”, in the manager’s words, and he called the situation “complicated”. He hopes Hazard is 100 percent for the Villarreal game on Thursday, because that’s the only way he will play significant minutes.

Although the 100 million euro signing’s season has been held back by injuries, Hazard admirably wants to push ahead and play a key role in Real Madrid winning their 34th La Liga title this year. Keep a close eye on more news regarding his status heading into this week’s game against Villarreal, because they may need him to keep up with Villarreal’s attacking firepower.