Real Madrid vs. Levante: 5 key players to watch on Saturday
LW Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid fans will be hoping for more minutes for the youngsters, and the key man at the forward positions is Vinicius Junior. Martin Odegaard and Luka Jovic have been loaned, while Rodrygo Goes remains injured. So from an attacking perspective, nobody is more important to Los Blancos among the youth than Vinicius.
He had a rough outing against Alcoyano, but that should not sour fans on him. Vinicius can be a difference-maker off the bench for Real Madrid, as we saw him change games in the 2019-2020 season in this capacity. He had a delightful, early goal in the 2-0 win over Levante earlier this season, so perhaps he has another gem of a strike in him this weekend.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Finally, it’s time to talk about a player who we’ve been overlooking lately, since he has been relatively quiet. Thibaut Courtois hasn’t been quite as unstoppable as he was in the 2019-2020 campaign when he answered the critics by being La Liga’s best goalkeeper, because the 2020-2021 season has been all about Jan Oblak’s greatness in goal for rivals Atletico Madrid.
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Even so, Courtois has been solid for Los Blancos, and he may have to be spectacular against Levante. The Frogs sure love their counterattack goals, and Jose Luis Morales seems to relish scoring absolute bangers against the Royal Whites. Courtois may have to pull off a couple of stunners and will almost certainly be tested in terms of his distribution.