Real Madrid: 3 things to look forward to against Athletic Club

Miguel Gutierrez putting in a shift

Miguel Gutierrez is one of the most promising left back prospects in all of Europe, and he’s fully expected to start at San Mames. The 19-year-old made some good appearances off the bench against Cadiz in his debut, Osasuna, and Sevilla. But he saved his finest performance for Granada in what was his first career start, as Marcelo was left off the squad due to an injury he suffered the previous weekend.

Based on what we saw from Gutierrez and what we have seen from Marcelo this season, the Castilla man is already ready to be the second-choice option to Ferland Mendy. Perhaps he could even push Mendy for starts in 2021-2022.

But until we get ahead of ourselves and risk putting too much pressure on a teenage defender, let’s get excited to see what he can do against another quality LaLiga opponent in Athletic Bilbao on Matchday 37. This young lion will be headed to the lion’s den itself in a must-win match. And he will have to incur some matchups against Raul Garcia, Inaki Williams, and Bilbao’s leading scorer Alex Berenguer.

With the way he played against Granada and with how he was able to hide any nerves, Gutierrez, who provided a stellar assist for Luka Modric to open the scoring, has the confidence of Madridistas.