Real Madrid could get a massive boost for El Derbi next month

Real Madrid left winger Eden Hazard was tremendous against Deportivo Alaves a couple of weeks ago, scoring and assisting with his magical touch in a 4-1 win that saw Los Blancos bounce back from their embarrassing defeat to Alcoyano.

Unfortunately, Hazard did not play well the following weekend against Levante, and we later learned that the Belgian superstar would need to miss four to six weeks with yet another muscular issue.

There are two positives that have emerged since then. Firstly, the play of his backup, Vinicius Junior. With Rodrygo Goes also injured, it has been the Vinicius show on the left-hand side, and he was great against both Huesca and Getafe. Real Madrid won both of those matches.

The second piece of good news is more recent and deals with Hazard specifically. A report from Manu de Juan of AS (article in Spanish) states that Eden Hazard’s injury is less severe than initially reported. The Real Madrid forward could make his return for El Derbi, which will take place on Mar. 7 at 16:15 CET.

Real Madrid should still exercise caution with Eden Hazard

AS reports that Hazard would have to be healthy enough to get minutes in the Mar. 1 La Liga fixture vs. Real Sociedad in order to be in the lineup against Atletico Madrid.

We know that Zinedine Zidane is going to be as cautious as possible with Hazard’s injury. Zidane, unlike some fans, understands the quality in Hazard and understands the pressure Hazard faces from both the fans and from himself due to the injuries. He is here to protect the player.

But Zidane is also here to win. Hazard can be the difference against Atletico Madrid, who are the best time in the league. That said, even though Atleti are in first by a margin of five points with two games in hand, Real Madrid beat them 2-0 earlier this season. Another win over Los Rojiblancos would be essential if Real are to have a shot at winning the league title again.

With the way Vinicius, who helped create the matchwinner against Atleti last year around this time in the calendar, is playing, Hazard does not need to be rushed. But it is nevertheless a positive to hear that he could potentially suit up against Atleti and that his recovery from this latest muscular injury is going well. Any positive injury news is worth being grateful for at this point, considering what Real Madrid have gone through in 2020-2021.