Real Madrid: 3 MOTM candidates against Barcelona this weekend

Real Madrid will write the next chapter of their storied rivalry with Barcelona this weekend, having won their last two Clasicos by a margin of two goals each. Los Blancos also defeated Atalanta, Celta Vigo, Eibar, and Liverpool in recent fixtures by a margin of two goals, and even though they have key injuries to worry about this weekend, they are capable of a similar result against a team sitting just ahead of them in the league table.

But in order to pick up a huge victory over Barcelona in this title race, Real Madrid will need their very best players to show up on Saturday night.

Here are three possible Man of the Match candidates for the Royal Whites on Matchday 30.

LW Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Junior was the star man last year in El Clasico when Real Madrid won 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu and then took home La Liga. History could very well repeat itself on Saturday night at Jurgen Klopp’s favorite training ground, as Vini is in fantastic form.

His form didn’t start against Liverpool, because he had a few strong performances before then, including a dazzling evening at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano against Atalanta. But his two goals and overall dominance against the Reds was the story of the week in the Champions League, even overshadowing the classic between PSG and Bayern Munich.

Sergino Dest is a competent right back who impressed fans with the way he handled Vinicius in the first Clasico of 2020-2021, but Vinicius looks like a totally different player right now. His confidence has blossomed, as evidenced by the composure he showed with both of his goals against the Reds. That was the REAL Vinicius.

He has to be a leading candidate to take home Man of the Match honors. I don’t want to put pressure on him, but I want to be honest with my praise. He is a candidate to have another excellent Clasico.

GK Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut Courtois has been an unsung hero again for Real Madrid. The Zamora Trophy will be difficult to win this season when looking at the numbers Jan Oblak is putting up for Atletico Madrid, but it is still well within reach for Courtois. Atleti are faltering a bit, and Courtois could have a repeat of last season when he went on an absolute tear to close the season.

The Belgian goalkeeper has shown great resiliency during his time with Real Madrid thus far. Remember when he was a scapegoat each week? Now, he is the favorite of Madridistas and someone who gives Real a feeling of comfort in between the posts.

Courtois will have to come up big on Saturday night. Lionel Messi is leading the Pichichi race again with 23 goals and is in top form. Barcelona put six past Real Sociedad a couple of matches ago, and Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele are not forwards to sleep on either.

But if Courtois can be a wall on Saturday, he can thwart them all. We’ve seen him make some ridiculous one-on-one, breakaway stops against Messi before.

CM Toni Kroos

Real Madrid’s best player this season, Toni Kroos created Los Blancos’ first two goals against Liverpool. He destroyed Klopp’s men, doing so with a calmness that probably made fans of other clubs extremely envious of the fact that Real have this exquisite No. 8 in their side.

Kroos’ brilliance on a mainstream stage was nothing new to Madridistas, as this fanbase has seen Kroos put up jaw-dropping numbers and 8/10 performances each and every week. His consistency is staggering, just as his propensity for dropping passes right into a “bucket” no matter the distance from the receiver.

The Vini and Kroos connection was on full display this past Tuesday, and it was also important in the last “home” Clasico for Real Madrid. Kroos is on another level than even the talented Barcelona midfield trio. He stands a cut above the rest. Atletico Madrid were the only team who could conceivably gameplan for Kroos successfully, and I don’t see Ronald Koeman and La Blaugrana replicating their success. In this form, Kroos could have a Clasico for the ages in the middle of the park. This man is capable of anything.