Real Madrid: Four takeaways from official squad at Real Betis

Real Madrid have announced their official squad against Real Betis, and one of their stars could be back in the lineup.

Last weekend, Real Madrid dropped points against Real Sociedad, tying 0-0 at the Anoeta Stadium despite being the better side. Los Blancos could not find the breakthrough goal, though Martin Odegaard was excellent in his first game of the season since rejoining from La Real.

Madrid have announced their official squad for Matchday 3 against Real Betis, and they will travel on the road to face Los Verdiblancos on Saturday night at the Benito Villamarin.

Here are four takeaways from their official squad.

1. Martin Odegaard is available for Real Madrid

There was concern about Martin Odegaard’s status earlier this week, but his COVID-19 test was really a false positive. So Odegaard is in the 22-man squad and could get a second straight start for Real Madrid.

Zinedine Zidane personally called Odegaard and brought him in the fold for the 2020-2021 season, because before Real’s loss to Manchester City in the Champions League, all signs pointed to Odegaard spending another season at La Real.

So Zidane has big plans for the Norway international. It looks like he will be a regular starter for Real Madrid going forward.

2. Isco is back in the lineup for Real Madrid

Isco missed the first game of the 2020-2021 season with an injury, but he is available for Real Madrid and has looked his usual self in training, based on videos posted to Twitter by the official team account.

The Spanish midfielder is an underrated player for Los Blancos right now. He was one of their best players earlier in 2020 before COVID hit, dazzling in El Clasico. Isco should have a role to play this Saturday at the Benito Villamarin, even if it is only a bench role.

3. Three strikers are available for Real Madrid

Borja Mayoral and Luka Jovic spent the full 90 minutes on the bench for Real Madrid in Sunday’s draw with Real Sociedad, much to the frustration of Madridistas who wondered why two Castilla players got their debuts with Los Blancos chasing a goal on the road.

Jovic needs more playing time this season and is the direct backup striker. Mayoral will likely get his playing time in 2020-2021 with a transfer to AS Roma, which should happen soon.

Karim Benzema is the surefire starter, but if he struggles against Betis for the second time in 2020 and the second week in a row overall, then Zinedine Zidane needs to call Jovic’s number. It is time to trust in Jovic.

4. Real Madrid play it safe with Eden Hazard

As we saw earlier this year, it is imperative for Real Madrid to exercise all caution with Eden Hazard’s injuries. Yet another aggravation would be disastrous for both him and Los Blancos, and Hazard is crucial to Real’s success. Look at how much better they were in the Fall of last year with a fully healthy Hazard than they were at any other point in their title-winning 2019-2020 campaign.

Hazard is getting closer to 100 percent and is training with the team, but he is not fully ready yet. Good on Zidane and Real Madrid for not rushing the left winger back into the lineup.