Real Madrid: 5 players who must shine vs. Celta Vigo

LW Eden Hazard

We begin with Eden Hazard, who featured in the loss to Vigo in 2020. The Belgian superstar made a nondescript return off the bench at mid-week in the draw with Elche, though he didn’t really have much of a chance of making an impact after being subbed in with fewer than 15 minutes remaining in regular time.

Hazard should be one of the top three players in La Liga, but injuries have prevented him from shining like he did in November of 2019. This season, Hazard, when healthy, has shown the same spark at times, including with his wondergoal against Huesca to open the scoring in a 4-1 win.

Celta Vigo aren’t great defensively, but they have two good fullbacks. Hugo Mallo is yet another experienced La Liga standout, and Hazard will have to work hard against him in order to help Real win. But you’d expect a world-class player like Hazar to do what it takes to win that battle.

Hopefully, on Sunday morning, we are praising Hazard over a nice cup of coffee and not stressing over yet another return from injury. We must continue to believe in Hazard, but even the most faithful of Madridistas can’t help but ask difficult questions in their head about Hazard’s future.