5 key players to watch on matchday eight

Real Madrid will face Huesca on matchday eight at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium. Here’s a look at the players to watch at Los Blancos.

Last weekend, Real Madrid made a great comeback in La Liga that should have implications for the title as they traveled to the Camp Nou and edged Barcelona in a 3-1 win. Real fell to earth midweek in the Champions League by drawing Borussia Monchengladbach, but there were two positives. First, they completed a comeback to salvage the point. And secondly, Eden Hazard looked healthy and efficient from the bench.

Could Hazard start his first game of the season on Saturday afternoon against the newly promoted Huesca? Here are five key players to watch for Real this weekend when they face Huesca at home in their seventh La Liga game of 2020-2021.

RB Lucas Vazquez

Lucas Vázquez has been a recent revelation at the right back position, and he may have found a new home as the team’s emergency option there. Álvaro Odriozola still appears to be recovering from his injury and Dani Carvajal will not be back for a while.

So he looks for Real Madrid to start Vázquez again on the right side. He was excellent at El Clásico, putting together a Man of the Match performance against Barcelona’s talented attack. Vázquez contributed well to the offense against Barcelona and Gladbach, as you would expect from the converted right winger.

CM Toni Kroos

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos put on a world-class Classic, keeping possession calm and working hard for the team in midfield. He had five key passes against Barcelona, ​​according to WhoScored.com, practically owning midfield for his team in a colossal display.

Kroos fell to the ground at Monchengladbach. His passing was not as progressive or precise, but the bad performances of the forwards did not help him.

Against Huesca, Kroos should start and dominate. This is his game to own, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he could score one of his refined long shots. A goal is coming for the German star.

LW Rodrygo goes

With the solidity of his game from the bench in his last two La Liga games against Barcelona and Levante, Rodrygo Goes has gained more minutes on his preferred left side of attack. It would be prudent for Rodrygo and Eden Hazard to split playing time in some way this Saturday.

The 19-year-old Brazilian was very calm in the transition in both situations, even if the goals were more about quality and composure from Real Madrid legends Karim Benzema and Luka Modric.

Rodrygo has all the mental and physical qualities of a future Madrid legend, but needs more playing time in his preferred position to continue developing.

He couldn’t make his usual difference in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk, but that’s a thing of the past.

Huesca could give Rodrygo a great opportunity to run for a La Liga team, boost his confidence, cause a host of problems, and perhaps even provide a goal or high third assist for the team.

LB Ferland Mendy

Real Madrid left-back Ferland Mendy has been as consistent as ever this season, and there is a real difference in quality every time the young French star starts on the left side of defense. Very few attacking players can beat Mendy, whose positional intelligence and closing speed are the envy of almost every other left back in world football.

Mendy should start against Huesca, although it is possible that Zinedine Zidane will risk giving him rest to give Marcelo another chance. Real Madrid need to get another win and build some consistency, and there is no better way to do that than to keep the best player in the lineup position.

CB Eder Militao

A break for Raphael Varane could be in order on matchday eight, meaning that Real Madrid would give Eder Militao a first chance. It seems to work well with Varane or Sergio Ramos, although the Ramos and Militao pairing is a more composed duo due to Ramos’ vocal leadership.

Militao played one half against Cádiz this season and ended up being the best player in the Los Blancos field in that disastrous 1-0 loss. He seems to play well in most matches when Real excels, with the exception of the recent Champions League loss to Shakhtar Donetsk without Ramos. And that was, honestly, a surprise, as he was the only defender who could hold his head high without Ramos in the lineup in a 2-1 loss to Manchester City this August.

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Meaningful minutes are as important to Militao as they are to Rodrygo. He may also be a future superstar for Los Blancos. Militao makes mistakes like any young center, but he has real technical quality and a commanding presence in the air.