Real Madrid: Three keys to a victory against Shakhtar Donetsk

By Ben Sundock | Nov 30, 2020

Real Madrid's players take part in a training session at the Olympiyskiy stadium in Kiev on November 30, 2020 on the eve of the UEFA Champions League football match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images) /

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(Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

Don’t play Militao with Varane!

For reasons I do not understand and cannot explain, center backs Raphael Varane and Eder Militao simply cannot play together. Militao has had an incredibly slow start to the campaign dealing with a couple of injuries and he tested positive for COVID last month as well.

So you might be asking yourself, when was the last time these two started and played together? It was in the 3-2 loss to Shakhtar in mid-October! The Ukrainian side tallied three times in the first half and Los Blancos were not able to overturn the deficit despite scoring twice early in the second half.

Sadly, captain Sergio Ramos is still on the mend and did not make the trip east. The way Nacho Fernandez played against Inter Milan should prove to Zizou that he should be paired with Rafa Varane.

Militao could be an option off the bench, but based off of his track record playing without Sergio Ramos, it would be in the team’s best interest to leave him out.

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