Dean Huijsen is surely bound to make his Champions League debut now, after a red card means Xabi Alonso is left with no choice but to start him.
Real Madrid will turn their attention to their favorite competition, the beloved Champions League, this week. Kicking off action against French side Marseille on Tuesday evening, a Real Madrid fan favorite has just cemented his place in the starting eleven.
Dean Huijsen will make his Champions League debut this week, having never played in the competition before. The reason why might frustrate some Real Madrid fans, but for those level-headed fans, it's completely understandable.
Dean Huijsen is a non-negotiable starter for Real Madrid now
At the weekend against Real Sociedad, Dean Huijsen was sent off just after the half-hour mark. Frankly, it was yet another example of poor officiating from La Liga officials which cost Real Madrid. There should be absolutely no blame pointed at Dean Huijsen.
Regardless, Huijsen is now a sure starter for Real Madrid in their upcoming Champions League match against Marseille because of his red card, not despite it.
When La Liga returns, Dean Huijsen is unavailable. Therefore, to retain match fitness, Xabi Alonso will start Dean Huijsen in midweek. The tight turnaround in fixtures doesn't concern Huijsen too much, considering he only played just over 30 minutes at the weekend.
Huijsen is still young and has plenty of energy to offset. The tight fixture schedule wouldn't have concerned him too much anyway, since he's used to this from his Premier League days.
And Xabi Alonso has no reason to punish Dean Huijsen. Huijsen is already punished by La Liga for a foul that was nowhere near red-card worthy. Alonso has firsthand experience of how poor La Liga officiating is, and it would have been a tactical foul that he trained Huijsen to make.
Dean Huijsen is more than ready for the Champions League. Sure, it's the most elite competition in club soccer, but Huijsen has already stepped up to the mark since arriving at Real Madrid. Nobody would have expected him to make such an early impact, but he's defied all odds so far.
Huijsen is also a fully-fledged Spain international now, so the stakes of the Champions League will not faze him. Real Madrid fans should expect another composed performance from their man of the moment.