Vinícius-less Real await stern Sevilla test in Madrid
By Filip Mishov
Fresh from the miracle in Rome, Real quickly switch focus to LaLiga
Real Madrid produced a late eight-minute blitzkrieg to complete a dramatic comeback and silence the jubilant Stadio Olimpico upon José Mourinho‘s emotional return to Rome, with Los Blancos making it two wins from two in the Champions League. However, the Special One voiced his concerns about his defence afterwards, which has kept only a couple of clean sheets across all competitions this season.
With El Clásico next up in the league after this test against Sevilla, Thibaut Courtois must be worried about stopping Barcelona’s lethal attack. Equally, Kylian Mbappé & co. (19 goals) are not too shabby either with only Barça scoring more goals after eight rounds in LaLiga.
Sevilla’s six-goal thriller with Levante extended the Andalusia club’s two-match winless run (1D, 1L) in LaLiga after Los Blanquirrojos were just minutes away from celebrating a hard-fought victory at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia.
On a brighter note, Luis García‘s squad enjoyed a decent start to the season and have surpassed expectations, sitting fifth in the standings and only four points behind Real. Furthermore, Los Nervionenses are destined to provide a stern physical test for Los Blancos, with no club averaging more (19.5) tackles per match or possession won in the final third per match (5.9) across the league.
Key players
Yan Diomande is still settling in a star-studded Madrid dressing room, but the lightning-quick winger is set for an extended run and more prominent role in the starting XI following Vinícius Júnior‘s reckless sending off last weekend. Also, the 19-year-old’s debut goal in a white shirt proved to be the winner against Villarreal and the most expensive signing in the club’s history is beginning to impress despite his restricted playing time in LaLiga so far. The Ivory Coast international has started only three of the eight matches played, but no player in the squad is averaging more successful dribbles per 90 (4.9).
Robbie Ure continues his rise to prominence and after making his Scotland debut over the past international break, the 22-year-old scored his first LaLiga goal against Levante. Subsequently, the skillful forward earned a FotMob rating of 8.5 and recorded an assist as well, his second of the campaign. Additionally, the Rangers academy product is leading the ranks in terms of goals + assists (3) and big chances created (2) among his teammates, and the No. 9 is expected to lead Sevilla’s prolific attack at the Bernabéu.
Team news
Vinícius Júnior is set to miss Sunday’s clash and the Brazil international will miss El Clásico as well due to his four-match suspension. Éder Militao and Ferland Mendy are back in first-team training, making Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo the only injured absentees.
Similarly, Isaac Romero received a red card for offensive celebration following his stoppage-time goal at Levante and the striker will be absent from Luis García’s squad, while Marcão and Miguel Sierra are injured.
Prediction
The limelight will be on the officials at the Bernabéu following Real’s constant complaints about the standard of refereeing in the league, but José Mourinho can’t afford for his squad to slip up ahead of next week’s Clásico.
I fully expect Los Blancos to find a way to secure an important win, although I do not think Sevilla will make it easy for them, especially given their relentlessly aggressive approach.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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