Real Madrid will face Cadiz on Saturday evening at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Here’s what to look forward to.
After the October international break, Real Madrid will face Cadiz on Saturday evening for their second home game of the 2020-2021 season. Cadiz are a newly-promoted La Liga side and aren’t to be taken lightly. They recently drew Granada and defeated Athletic Club.
That said, Madridistas have every reason to expect their team to nab all three points at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Here are three things to look forward to when Real Madrid take the field again.
Martin Odegaard getting minutes for Real Madrid
Martin Odegaard started the first two games of the season for Real Madrid, though his second start against Real Betis didn’t feel like one after he was taken out at half-time for Isco. The Norway international played decently well against Real Sociedad, was invisible at Betis, and registered only a couple of minutes against Levante before the international break as a sub.
Zinedine Zidane personally called Odegaard to return to Los Blancos for the 2020-2021 season, as he was initially scheduled for another season on loan at the Anoeta Stadium.
Look for Odegaard to get more minutes on Saturday against Cadiz after impressing against Romania in the international break, setting up potential future Madridista Erling Haaland with two assists.
Real Madrid getting another goal from Karim Benzema
Essentially undroppable, Karim Benzema is in line for another start against Cadiz after getting more rest during the international break. The legendary Madridista finally scored his first goal of the season against Levante, grabbing a late goal to seal the game after a nice cut to set up a smooth finish.
Benzema’s start to the season has been dissected, but there’s no reason to get overly critical, even if we can acknowledge that his finishing has been below his standard. Because even when he couldn’t put away a goal against Real Betis, he made so much happen on the ball with his dribbling ability and work rate.
Will Benzema start next to Luka Jovic again on Saturday? I’m not sure, but I feel confident in him scoring his second goal of the season. The late goal at Levante may have been a sign of things to come for the No. 9.
Toni Kroos returning from injury for Real Madrid
There’s no guarantee we’ll see Toni Kroos in midfield, because it’s hard to predict Zinedine Zidane’s starting lineup against La Liga competition that isn’t in the top tier.
Still, it seems like we should see the German international back in the lineup after he returned to face Ukraine in the UEFA Nations League. Kroos completed over 90 percent of his passes again, per WhoScored.com, and added three key passes in the gritty win. But he did make a couple of bad decisions and wasn’t at his best coming off the injury.
By Saturday, Kroos should be pretty much 100 percent and ready to control another game in midfield. His consistency and technical quality at Real Madrid never cease to amaze. Any opportunity to watch him play is one Madridistas will gladly take.