A face-off against the bottom side, an attacking clicking on all levels, and the fearsome four
Real Madrid will look to continue the great form in La Liga as they travel to face 20th place Real Valladolid.
Real Madrid took the lead in La Liga last week, benefiting in the best way possible after Atletico Madrid & Barcelona dropped points, extending the lead to 2 points from Atletico and 7 points from Barcelona. This week, both chasing teams play home games, respectively against Villarreal & Valencia, while Real Madrid is away to last place in La Liga, Valladolid.
Carlo Ancelotti made it clear yesterday that he will play his strongest line-up today, showcasing perfectly the importance of this match - no matter if the opponent sits last on the table. Real Madrid will have some absences today, with Vinà Jr. completing his two game suspension, Eduardo Camavinga still recovering from his injury & as usual, Dani Carvajal & Eder Militão who are recovering from their ACL injuries.
Rodrygo who is in perfect form will occupy the left wing, while Brahim is expected to start as a RW. In midfield, Tchouameni will make his return while the only dilemma is if Fede Valverde will start as a RB, with Lucas Vazquez who had some minor problems in training these days.
Expected XI: Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rüdiger, Fran; Tchouaméni, Ceballos, Bellingham; Brahim, Mbappé, Rodrygo.
The goalscoring 'demons' have been awakened
Real Madrid have finally found the perfect rhythm in attack, with goals flowing from all sides in the last 12 games.
In the last 12 games in all competitions, Real Madrid have 10 wins, 1 draw & 1 defeat. The most positive thing on this run - leaving aside some bad moments & the shaky defensive form, has been the goalscoring streak in which the attack has answered perfectly & are finally doing what... well, the whole world expects them to do.
In this period, Real Madrid have scored a total of 42 goals - or translated to 3,5 goals per game. Indeed, Real Madrid have not had trouble finding the net lately, with the big four going into the right direction finding that harmony between themselves.
The most profilic scorer in this period has been Kylian Mbappé - scoring 10 goals in 11 games, while Rodrygo is really close there, having scored 8 in 10. Jude Bellingham & Vinà Jr. have added 5 each, but the later has played only 8 games in this period, missing some number of matches due to small problems & suspensions. In total, Mbappé has contributed to 12 goals & Rodrygo has contributed to 11 goals in this period, with Jude adding 9 & Vinà Jr. adding 8.
The attack has finally clicked together, but Carlo Ancelotti still hasn't found a solution to the defensive woes. In this period, Real Madrid have conceded 17 goals & this must be improved as soon as possible, for Real Madrid to have a good chance in knockout ties competitions as UCL & Copa Del Rey.
The fantastic four
Real Madrid's big four has hit the 8th gear - in the most important part of the season.
It looked as if the start was slow & Real Madrid's superstars will have problem fitting together in the same team - but when the season is coming into it's most important part, all of Vinà Jr, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham & Rodrygo have started producing the goods, which has helped Real Madrid recover the lead in La Liga, advance to the quarterfinals of Copa Del Rey & find comfort in UEFA Champions League.
Without going into much details, the stats of the big 4 have been really good this season - but especially in the last 12 games. In this run of games, BMVR have scored a total of 29 goals & have added 12 assists.
In total this season, the fantastic four have scored 59 goals in total, giving 29 assists. The most profilic scorer has been Kylian Mbappé with 19, while Vinà Jr. has contributed to the most goals, 27 - with 17 goals & 10 assists. Rodrygo has added 11 goals & 6 assists, while Jude Bellingham is the other player close to double-double digits, being on 9 goals + 9 assists so far.
As the final run closely approaches, Real Madrid will need the individual brilliance of these players more than ever, as it looks impossible for Ancelotti to choose balance over what these guys offer. At the moment, the idea of benching one of them - looks very distant.