With the La Liga race wide open after Matchday 33, Real Madrid host Champions League hopefuls Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday as they look to move into top position. After impressive victories during the weekend and in the quarterfinals of their respective European competitions, both teams will look for victories as the visitors look to solidify their position for the Champions League playoff spot even though they have a chance to gain automatic qualification by winning the Europa League. It is highly unlikely the Yellow Submarines will catch up with Real Madrid, but the Los Blancos will take this match very seriously as even a draw could jeopardize their title chances.
Putting pressure the opposition goal will be Zidane’s main plan
With the match coming at a very crucial juncture of the season, Zinedine Zidane will look to put high pressure on the visitor’s goal from the start. It has been refreshing to see Real Madrid playing a pressing game in crunch fixtures. Against Wolfsburg and Barcelona, Zidane’s men applied high press up the field in the opening quarter of an hour to deny any kind of rhythm for their opposition and a similar kind of game plan can be expected from the home side on Thursday. And the interchanging play between the forwards could be used as the main weapon to confuse the second miserly defence in the league. It will also be interesting to see which centre-back pairing Zidane will choose to tackle the threat of Cedric Bakambu as the Frenchman has used 5 different centre back pairings in the last 7 games.
Attacking without fear will be Marcelino’s tactic against Madrid:
The Bernabeu has never been a happy hunting ground for the Yellow Submarines as they have never won at Real’s home, but they can be really dangerous if Madrid get too comfortable in defence. This was evident at the start of the season at El Madrigal which left Madrid reeling after an early goal from Roberto Soldado, enough for Real Madrid to lose the game.
Striker Cedric Bakambu has been in terrific form in recent weeks and will look to inflict pain on Madrid after last week’s defeat to Rayo Vallecano. Villarreal’s midfield, which has been the most effective region on the pitch this season, will have to get the ball past Madrid’s equally improved midfield if they need to create any chances of scoring. So the main onus will be on Bruno to release Castillejo quickly on the flanks to lay in crosses for the strikers. The defence will have more work to do to track the movement of Madrid’s star studded attack in order to maintain their impressive defensive record.
Key Battles:
Casemiro Vs Pina:
The resurgence of Casemiro has helped Zidane solve most of Real’s physicality in the middle of the park, which was lacking under Benitez. The Brazilian will be the lynch-pin for the home side as Modric and James/Kroos pull the strings. Pina, on the other hand, has been rock solid in shielding Villarreal’s defense as his absence was clearly visible in last week’s defeat against Rayo Vallecano.
Denis Suarez Vs Carvajal:
The former Barcelona B midfielder has been one of the key figures in the Yellow Submarine’s rise to fourth place. His dribbling skills and intelligence in one-on-one situations has made him the most fouled player in the Villarreal ranks and Madrid’s Daniel Carvajal will have to back track quickly in order to stop the 22 year old from getting inside the box. Carvajal will have to rely heavily on his pace and positioning as Denis Suarez has the ability to play defenders’ physicality to his advantage to win free kicks.
Cristiano Ronaldo Vs Eric Bailly:
The Ivorian Centre-back has been a rock at the back for Villarreal this season and another strong performance is expected of him as he faces Ronaldo for the second time this season. In their previous meeting at Madrigal, La Liga’s top scorer was unable to get the better of Bailly but is back to his imposing best by surpassing the 30 goal mark for the sixth straight season last week. Ronaldo switching positions with Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale will be a test to young Bailly’s marking and positioning skills.
The Teams:
Real Madrid:
Strengths:
- With a return to form and being back in the title race, Real Madrid will be highly motivated to capitalise on any further slip-ups from Barcelona.
- They have won the past 5 matches at Santiago Bernabeu and Villarreal are yet to win a match at the venue.
- The defensive frailties which led to early season slip-ups look to be stabilized despite the centre-back rotation by Zidane.
Weakness:
- Marcelo is highly dangerous going forward but leaves large spaces behind him for Villarreal to attack.
- It is important for Madrid to get a stronghold in the midfield from the start, otherwise Villarreal’s tough tackling midfield could choke Blancos’ engine room. Toni Kroos’ vulnerability against highly physical sides could be a negative for Madrid.
Villarreal:
Strengths:
- Villarreal’s domination in the centre of the park could prove difficult for the hosts to cope with as they rank above Real Madrid in interceptions and tackles won per game.
- Their more compact defense compared Madrid’s is one of their other strengths, which ranks them second in the best defences in the league.
Weakness:
- Sheer unpredictability—- which could have been one of their strengths could prove counter effective against a team like Real, if they are rattled by a goal early on.
- Their unpredictability also stems out of regularly failing to keep themselves from committing unwanted fouls. Though a solid defensive unit, the Yellow Submarines lack discipline, which saw them collect 16 yellow cards in the last 4 Liga fixtures. Even their coach Marcelino was recently sent off to the stands in the Europa League quarterfinal against Sparta Prague.