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Los Blancos will take on Villarreal on the final day of the Spanish league season. Madrid, surprisingly, are still in contention to win the league title, provided rivals Atletico slip up. However, they have an immediate task at hand – beating Unai Emery’s Villarreal.
Despite what the larger footballing world thinks of Real, one can’t deny that they are a club for big occasions. A similar occasion awaits them this weekend. Los Blancos are second in the table heading into the final matchday of the season – two points behind Diego Simeone’s men. Consequently, they have the chance to win the domestic title, provided they beat Villarreal, and the other result goes their way. Their chances of winning the league are slim, though, given that their destiny is not in their hands. However, it would be futile to count Real out, especially if there is a trophy on the line.
Zinedine Zidane’s side has shown incredible determination to even find themselves in a title race at this point in the season. Atletico were miles ahead of them midway through the campaign, but they just didn’t give up. Injuries piled up, players’ form dwindled, but Los Blancos refused to walk away from a title race. Last weekend, they were even on top of the league momentarily when Ante Budimir had put Osasuna on top against Atletico, albeit that lead did not last long.
Madrid head into this match, having beaten Athletic Bilbao 1-0. Nacho scored the only goal of the game – a player who personifies his club’s persistent qualities. Karim Benzema had an uncharacteristically quiet game. The Frenchman has been his team’s leading man – and by some margin – this season. His performances were enough to earn him a shock call-up to the French National Team for the 2020 Euros.
Los Blancos face Unai Emery’s Villarreal next, who are set to play a European cup final days later. As such, Villarreal will relish the chance to play their final game against the thirteen-time European champions – a match that will provide them with a measure of their quality and preparation for their upcoming final. The Yellow Submarine also has something at stake in this match. Should they fail to beat Real, they will drop down to the Europa Conference League next season. That is unless they beat Manchester United in the Europa League Final.
Key Players
The big talking point this past week was the inclusion of Karim Benzema in the France National Team squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro. The Frenchman had been out of the national fold for too long, but Didier Deschamps could no longer ignore him thanks to his form over the past two years. Benzema has taken his game to another level altogether since the departure of his attack partners. He has 22 goals in the league this season and could well fire his team towards another title.
Apart from Benzema, Real Madrid have had troubles with all of their attackers. Loss of form, recurring injuries, and overpaid transfer fees have all contributed to a crisis in that area of the pitch. Real will hope that Marco Asensio can solve that crisis in the present and, hopefully, for the future. The Spaniard has scored seven times this season and supplied two assists.
Like Real Madrid, Villarreal too have been dependent upon their star forward to lead them out of sticky situations this season. Gerard Moreno has done more than just that, for he is the league’s second-highest scorer behind only Lionel Messi. He has scored 23 goals this season in the competition – which is one more than Benzema.
Villarreal are likely to entertain a huge bid for Pau Torres this summer, with the youngster currently in high demand. Torres could even play for Real Madrid in the immediate future, after continuous links to the capital club over the past year. Technically, he is a very good player, and his defensive skill set coupled with that of veteran Raul Albiol has helped Villarreal form a mean defence.
Prediction
The stakes are as high as they can be for Real Madrid this season. One game can define their campaign, decide whether it was a success or a failure, and drastically alter the mood of the fanbase. They simply cannot lose this match, for there is too much at stake. Of course, they might still lose the title, given how the control of the title race is not in their own hands. However, they must at least get the job done at their end.
Squad-wise, Real Madrid are superior to Villarreal. They also have the experience of playing in “big” games such as these. The odds will be on them to win the match, although, in this upside-down season, one can never be sure.
