3 Real Madrid players who must step up at Athletic Club with Casemiro out

2. ANTONIO BLANCO

Last season, Carlos Casemiro played without a backup for the most time. That was until Zinedine Zidane entrusted Castilla prodigy, Antonio Blanco, with some first-time minutes and he was undeniably impressive. Quick one, two touch passing, sensible distribution, and commanding ability to hold up and anchor play in midfield, Antonio Blanco possesses a skillset similar to Xabi Alonso.

This season, however, Blanco hasn’t featured in too many games. And, that is understandable given how well Real Madrid’s elite three have played. However, he has two appearances under his belt, one in LaLiga and one in the Champions League, per WhoScored.

And, he did play well in that 6-1 thrashing of Mallorca where the youngster had a half-hour cameo. He ended the game with one interception, one block, and two tackles alongside a passing accuracy of 90%.

Including him in this list is a big call. Especially because Carlo Ancelotti hasn’t yet turned towards his Castilla prodigies. There is Isco still there in the first team but I do not see him starting in this game. Moreover, Antonio Blanco would be a better, calm, and collected option for Carlo Ancelotti to introduce in the second half for whoever starts this game if need be.

There are great possibilities for the Castilla star to get his minutes against Athletic Club and he needs to put his best foot forward to see off this game and the year for Los Blancos without too many slipups. Real Madrid has already lost their winning streak and they cannot afford to lose their unbeaten streak as well.