REAL MADRID
Real Madrid: Vinicius gives Hazard a run for his money for a starting place
The Belgian might have a fight on his hands to walk back into Madrid’s starting eleven after the Brazilian’s impressive performances in the Madrid derby and Copa del Rey defeat to La Real.
As Real Madrid face a potentially tricky tie away to Osasuna on Sunday, Zidane has a few decisions to make with the fast-approaching return of Eden Hazard.
A Hazard and Vinicius dilema for Zidane
Zidane is a believer in not trying to fix what isn’t broke, although in this instance things could get complicated with the imminent return of Eden Hazard. The recent form of Vinicius Jr. will undoubtedly be giving the Madrid coach a headache, with the Brazilian impressing in the Madrid derby, playing a part in the winning goal scored by Benzema, and proving to be Los Blancos’ best player in their Copa del Rey defeat to Real Sociedad.
Vinicius and Benzema
Vinicius, along with Benzema, is currently Madrid’s most potent attacking threat and has risen above Rodrygo, Lucas and even the out-of-favour Gareth Bale. “I’ve reached the same level of form as last season, around January and February,” the youngster said on Thursday this week after Madrid went crashing out of the cup.
Zidane, however, has to decide how to bring back big-money signing Hazard after 73 days on the sidelines. The Belgian has been training with the rest of the squad this week and will face the challenge of hitting the ground running against an Osasuna side with a decent home record and a defence that is not easily breached. Vinicius, meanwhile, is currently 'in the groove'.