Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine against Real Sociedad

Real Madrid CB Raphael Varane

Real Madrid center back Raphael Varane is on a mission to show the world that his mistakes against Manchester City do not define him. Varane is arguably the best center back in world football and his accomplishments as a 27-year-old are staggering. In addition to all the Champions League trophies he’s won with Los Blancos, he is a World Cup winner with France.

On Sunday, Varane will be needed to cope with the threat of striker Alexander Isak, who seems to relish playing against Real Madrid. In their Copa del Rey fixture, Isak took advantage of Real’s “B” defense to score a brace.

He is a great striker who can finish the 2020-2021 season as a breakout star and on the scoring charts. Isak is one of the players who can step up with Martin Odegaard no longer a part of the team, and he’ll still have good service from David Silva in midfield to help him.

It will be Varane’s job to track Isak’s dangerous runs off the ball, using his chessmaster-like foresight to erase Isak’s threat. Aerially, Varane will also be tested by a player who won six aerial duels in the opener against Real Valladolid.

But few strikers are capable of defeating Varane in one-on-one combat. The advantage is to Varane, who can add another big performance to his list on Sunday.