Real Madrid: 3 things to look forward to at Granada on Thursday

More Real Madrid midfield magic

Karim Benzema has been stellar up top, and Real Madrid have their world-class “old guard” trio of midfielders equal to him. Casemiro made some big plays against Sevilla and has been strong in 2021, but the real playmakers are the more attacking-minded Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.

The latter’s fighting spirit and all-around excellence has been ever-present in 2020-2021, while the former has a strong case for being the best midfielder in the world right now. It might come down to him or Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne.

Kroos had a tremendous match against Sevilla. He should have had a second assist, as Vinicius Junior could not convert the chance created by the classy work from BOTH Modric and Kroos.

Granada are a tough team. Real Madrid beat them earlier this season 2-0 at home, but facing them at Los Carmenes at the end of the season is a different story. Granada performed well in this year’s Europa League, and they have plenty to play for since they need to finish strong to steal a spot in Europe next season, just like last year’s mad finish to the end.

But with Modric and Kroos running the show like only they can, Los Blancos can get the three points they need and rebound from the recent disappointments against Chelsea and Sevilla, in addition to preceding ones against Getafe and Real Betis in La Liga.