Celta Vigo vs. Real Madrid: 3 tactical decisions to watch

How Real Madrid deal with Iago Aspas

Iago Aspas is one of the most hard-working and creative players in La Liga, and he is notoriously difficult for the giants of the league to deal with. Real Madrid overcame Aspas and Vigo earlier this season with a 2-0 win at home, but they escaped, to be honest. Aspas suffered an injury after about 50 minutes, so Real did not have to deal with him for a good portion of the match.

They cannot let their guards down on Saturday afternoon on the road. Aspas will be looking to slay another La Liga giant on Matchday 28, and a big key to this match will be how Casemiro handles Aspas when he drops deeper.

Remember, Aspas has eight assists this season. He averages exactly two key passes and two dribbles completed per game. The 33-year-old can impact the game in so many ways and seems to be tireless. In their last head-to-head matchup, Casemiro had four tackles and three interceptions, but he won’t be the only key to stopping Aspas, of course.

If Real go with a back three, that gives them more bodies to handle both Aspas and his partner in crime Santi Mina, who is a streaky but highly talented forward. We’ll see how Real line up their center backs and the responsibilities they give to each player to make sure that Aspas cannot find space to make the killer pass on a counterattack. Because that tends to be Real’s biggest Achilles’ heel defensively.