Real Madrid: 3 bold predictions for the month of November
By Sudhir Salvi
With the last international break of 2021 scheduled alongside five fixtures, Real Madrid have a chance to make a lasting impression in November.
Los Blancos open their account for the month with the visit of Shakhtar Donetsk to the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League before hosting Rayo Vallecano at home. Following the international break, Carlo Ancelotti’s charges will return to league action with away fixtures at Granada and Sheriff Tiraspol in La Liga and Champions League, respectively, before closing out on the month with a clash at home versus joint league leaders Sevilla.
Although there are no Clasicos or derbies, nor any mouthwatering European clashes in the month, it will be especially crucial for Dani Ceballos and Gareth Bale, who will make their returns from injury. The Welshman is bound to get his chances, more so if Rodrygo has an injury from the Elche game which keeps him out for more than a week or two.
In October, Real Madrid lost one and drew one each of the five matches they played, and they will hope to correct that patch in November and make it a record of 100% wins before heading into a tough first week of December wherein the face Real Sociedad, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid in quick succession of another in what may be a season-defining week.
Here is a look at the three bold predictions for the month of November.
VINICIUS JUNIOR WILL HAVE HIS BEST MONTH OF THE SEASON
In the biggest of surprises as far as international call-ups last week were concerned, Vinicius Junior was dropped by Tite from the Brazil squad for their upcoming meetings in favour of Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho. That would have been a hard pill to follow for the player given that he has been magnificent this season and already found the back of the net on nine occasions.
Nevertheless, it is a blessing in disguise for Los Merengues who will have their second-best player of the season in the club’s training facilities for two weeks without any traveling or high-intensity games. A lack of match action for two weeks, coupled with some much-deserved break and motivation will ensure that Vinicius ups his level by an even higher notch in the upcoming month.
He struck his third brace of the season after scoring twice against Elche over the weekend and also convinced Ancelotti and the fans that the team can rely on him in Karim Benzema’s absence. The 21-year-old is currently indispensable and will surely start all the matches this month provided that he does not suffer any unfortunate injury or Ancelotti decides to rest him against the odds.
In three months so far this season, Vinicius has managed nine goals in all competitions which puts him on an average of three goals monthly. That is certainly something which he should target in November too, given that Madrid play five matches over its course. By the end of this month, if Vini can reach the 12-goal mark, he can think about touching 15 to 20 goals by the end of the year.