Real Madrid vs. Atalanta: 5 key players to watch in the second leg

Real Madrid vs. Atalanta will take place on Tuesday night at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, with Los Merengues holding a 1-0 advantage over their Serie A opponents. Their advantage stems from a wondergoal scored by Ferland Mendy in the late stages of the first leg at the Gewiss Stadium, as it took ages for Real to break the 0-0 deadlock with Atalanta despite only facing 10 men for most of the match.

Los Blancos will be tested and pushed hard by Atalanta in the second leg. Atalanta are great at pressing and going all-out with their attack. If they have a fully healthy front line, they could upset Zinedine Zidane’s men.

Here are five key players to watch in this match.

Real Madrid CM Fede Valverde

We begin with a new starting midfielder in Fede Valverde, who was one of the few impressive starters against Elche this weekend. Valverde must start, as Casemiro is suspended after picking up a yellow card in the first leg.

The industry of Valverde will be critical to advancing. He is one of the hardest-working midfielders on this planet, capable of recovering balls and turning defense into attack in an instant. Atalanta will be aggressive in their approach, so by stealing the ball, beating a man looking to win it back quickly, and finding the right outlet to a wide forward, Valverde can create an all-important goal for Los Blancos this Tuesday.