Real Madrid: 3 Man of the Match candidates against Atleti

Real Madrid will face Atletico Madrid for the second time this season on Sunday at the Wanda Metropolitano. After defeating Los Rojiblancos 2-0 in December, Los Blancos will like their chances of getting another positive result. And right now, with five points separating these two teams, a “positive result” is the full three points.

Who will rise to the occasion for Real Madrid in what may very well be a must-win match for Zinedine Zidane’s men? Here are three Man of the Match candidates.

CM Luka Modric

Luka Modric’s contributions to Rela Madrid have been slightly overshadowed in recent weeks due to the sheer brilliance of his midfield partner Toni Kroos, but the Croatian has also been quite good for Los Blancos.

He was quiet against Real Sociedad in Monday night’s 1-1 draw, but prior to that match, Modric had a streak of six straight La Liga matches with multiple dribbles completed, according to WhoScored.com. Modric also had 10 key passes during that time span for an average of about 1.7 per match.

Atletico Madrid is rarely an easy matchup for a Real Madrid midfielder, but Modric could boss this game just like he did the earlier fixture. If he can split wide and feed a healthy Karim Benzema, he could finally record his third assist of the season.