Real Madrid Femenino: The importance of Sunday’s match vs. Levante

In their first season, Real Madrid Femenino have immediately established themselves as one of the teams to beat in Spain, which is exactly what fans were hoping for. The new acquisitions from the summer have meshed perfectly well with the major signings made in 2019 when the team had first taken over CD Tacon, as the likes of Misa, Marta Cardona, Ivana Andres, and Olga Carmona are firmly entrenching themselves as the best players at their respective positions in all of European football.

And that will be the main focus of our discussion. Europe and the path to the Champions League. The top three teams in Primera Iberdrola will make it to the UEFA Women’s Champions League next season, and after defeating Atletico Madrid in a tense derby match last weekend, Las Blancas are in the driver’s seat for a spot in the Champions League.

Exactly one week after their incredible triumph over their biggest competitors to a top-three spot, Las Blancas must face another top-three side in Primera Iberdrola.

Currently, Real Madrid are third in Primera Iberdrola. They are well behind FC Barcelona and won’t be challenging La Blaugrana for the title this season, but they are in a great spot to take over second place. That is, if they can defeat the current second-place team.

Real Madrid Femenino will face the top goal-scorer in Primera Iberdrola this weekend in Levante’s Esther Gonzalez

Real Madrid will face Levante this weekend on Sunday at 17:00 CET in their own stadium. They actually beat Levante earlier this season 2-1, whereas their win over Atleti came after they lost to Las Rojiblancas 2-1 earlier in the campaign.

Las Blancas improve with each and every week, so Madridistas should like their chances of coming away with a second victory over Levante. It won’t be easy, of course, given their opponents have the league’s top goal-scorer. Esther Gonzalez has found the back of the net 20 times in 22 matches this season, and she is a real force to be reckoned with for Misa and the Real Madrid back line this Sunday.

Gonzalez is not their only threat either, as five other players have at least five goal contributions in 2020-2021. They also have the wonderfully talented – and courageous – Estefania Banini.

Real, of course, have their own attacking firepower. Kosovare Asllani is one of the best goal-scorers in the league with 12, derby hero Sofia Jakobsson also has 13 goal contributions of her own, and the incomparable Marta Cardona has eight goals and four assists as one of world football’s biggest breakout stars in 2020-2021.

Whoever finishes second in Primera Iberdrola will enter the new UEFA Women’s Champions League format one qualifying round later, putting them in a better position to make it to the group stages of the competition (Barcelona will almost certainly qualify automatically as the champions of Spain).

There are a lot of stakes this Sunday, even after Las Blancas’ win over Atleti last weekend, which makes them favorites to finish in the top three. Now, it is the time to push, take down Levante, and take a leap towards the group stages of the 2021-2022 Champions League. There is so much to play for in this incredible first season for Real Madrid Femenino.