Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior will be back for this one. The Brazilian contracted COVID and had to isolate himself leading to him missing the short trip to Getafe. In that loss, Vinicius was clearly Real Madrid’s missing link. Against teams that drop so deep to defend, a pacy winger who can dribble way through is a massive necessity. That loss further substantiated the Brazilian’s importance to Real Madrid. He has been their best player so far in the season.
On his return, he’d definitely be eyeing a spectacular resumption performance, and what could be better than dropping a decisive performance against a strong LaLiga club like Valencia. He’d remember his exploits from the reverse fixture where he alongside Benzema completed a comeback within two minutes. Vinicius, in my opinion, was the decisive player in that game. Credits to Benzema for knowing exactly where he’d find the Brazilian, but Vini still had a lot to do to score that equalizer.
Later, Vini’s ball was absolutely perfect. Sent into the danger area and Benzema just had to get that touch. It wasn’t even a header to be precise, Benzema just ended up pushing the ball into the net while battling with two Valencia defenders. But, that ball was really the initiating act to get that winner.
It was tough to select one among the two of Real Madrid’s dynamic duo. But, Benzema had a performance to forget last time out against Getafe. Moreover, the way Vini’s importance to this team was highlighted and the fact that he’d be eyeing a spectacular return from absence leaves me no other option but to bag my hopes on him. Lastly, it is true that Real Madrid has almost always played better as a unit whenever the Brazilian has had a great game. We hope it is the same story this weekend.