Real Madrid: 5 key players to watch vs. Real Sociedad on Monday

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Real Madrid, Lucas Vazquez (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

RB Lucas Vazquez

The 29-year-old backup right back has been one of the revelations of the season, along with fellow defensive presence Nacho. Ever since replacing Nacho in El Clasico, Lucas Vazquez has been a real gem at right back for Real Madrid, barring a couple of hiccups against Shakhtar Donetsk and Athletic Club.

Vazquez drew a difficult matchup in the Champions League against Atalanta, but he shut Robin Gosens down. Per WhoScored.com, Vazquez had three tackles and two interceptions. And in his last La Liga fixture, he had a whopping 10 total defensive interventions.

He’ll have an even tougher matchup this Monday against Mikel Oyarzabal, but, in this form, Vazquez might not exactly be an easy matchup for Oyarzabal either.

CM Luka Modric

Mikel Merino will be out in this match, but Real Sociedad still has a quality midfield trio with former Madrid man Asier Illaramendi and long-time La Liga and Premier League star David Silva in the XI.

So this is going to be an interesting game for Luka Modric, who has been one of the league’s top midfielders this season. Modric has turned back the clock in 2020-2021, building on a bounce-back campaign in the 2019-2020 season. He is Los Blancos’ best progressor of the ball and passer in the final third, both of which will be vital to success vs. La Real.

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