Real Madrid left winger Eden Hazard made his return from injury against Real Betis last weekend. And he looked quite good in doing so. Hazard made some flicks and tricks in the final 15-ish minutes of the match, and while he could not help Los Blancos break a 0-0 deadlock, the important thing is that he looked sharp and completed the match in one piece.
The former Chelsea superstar made an appearance against his former employers this past Tuesday at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Hazard came off the bench again. He did not have an impact on the scoresheet, but, as was the case vs. Betis, Madridistas were mostly encouraged by the fact that Hazard looked healthy.
So that’s left fans wondering how many minutes he will get against Osasuna. It seems like the best policy is to ease him along slowly, but Real Madrid may need to throw a little more on his plate in order to see if he can start against Chelsea in the second leg, which should be the goal for such an important match.
According to a report from Sergio Santos Chozas of AS, Zinedine Zidane wants to give Eden Hazard about 60 minutes of match time this Saturday night vs. Osasuna.
Eden Hazard is expected to start for Real Madrid vs. Osasuna
His aim is to push Hazard a little more physically and see if the Belgian is ready to start against Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals.
Jose Luis Sanchez, via MadridXtra on Twitter, is reporting that Hazard will start for Real Madrid against Osasuna.
We’ll have to wait and see what the official XI looks like hours before the match, but it sure seems like Hazard is going to get an opportunity to start and play the majority of the match before being taken off for full freshness against Chelsea.
It’s probably the best policy. Many fans want to be hesitant with Hazard due to all the injuries, but it’s time to see if he can really go against Chelsea. And the only way to know if he’s ready to start in the Champions League is to test him out this weekend.
But don’t expect him to play the full 90. Hazard has actually never played a full 90 minutes in any match this season.