Real Madrid’s shocking draw against Las Palmas at Santiago Bernabeu has thrown the La Liga title race wide open now. Their arch rivals Barcelona has the competition pretty much in their hands with one El Clasico still left to play.
Real play SD Eibar next, a side who are currently in the 10th position. Although on paper Real are definitely a much stronger side, they couldn’t beat this Eibar side in the reverse fixture last October. The game ended 1-1 at Santiago Bernabeu then and Eibar’s home record, which is the sixth best in the league, is bound to create difficulties for Real, who cannot afford any more slip-ups.
Defence
Keylor Navas is expected to take his position under the bar once again, The Costa Rican international had a nightmarish game against Las Palmas last game. With the defence easily penetrable, Navas could hardly do anything although he must surely be cursing himself for Palmas’ third goal by Boateng, which could have been saved but for his blunder outside the penalty box.
Raphael Varane’s absence with a hamstring injury has posed concerns for Zidane at the back. He opted to play Nacho Fernandez at the centre and the decision quite clearly backfired. We expect the gaffer to deploy their former first-choice Pepe this time alongside Sergio Ramos at the heart of the defence. Pepe’s experience could be a massive help at such critical times. The defensive flanks should be taken by Marcelo and Dani Carvajal.
Midfield
Zidane is expected to shuffle his midfield a bit as Real hardly got three days of rest after their hard-fought draw last game. We expect the three-man midfield to feature Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro. Isco, who scored the opener against Palmas in the midweek, taking his tally to six goals in 19 appearances, is expected to make way for Casemiro.
Attack
A huge absence will be that of Gareth Bale on that right wing. The Wales international will be serving a one-match suspension after seeing two yellow cards in the last game. We expect Lucas Vazquez to take his place. Cristiano Ronaldo will start on the left flank. Real’s best player is in absolute form of late as his brace last game took his tally to 18 goals in 20 appearances. He has failed to score just twice in his last eight games.
Alvaro Morata’s started the game last fixture after a lot of speculation and it ended quite sadly as two of his attempts were wrongly disqualified. We expect the boss to give him another chance this time.
