Lucas Vázquez believes Atlético have title race advantage
Real Madrid may be top of LaLiga but their striker Lucas Vázquez feels city rivals Atlético has the edge in the chase for the championship.
Lucas Vázquez has vowed that Real Madrid will “keep fighting right until the end” in the LaLiga title race but he admits that city rivals Atlético Madrid have the edge. Vázquez netted the opener in Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory against Celta Vigo on Saturday as Zinedine Zidane’s side took over top spot for the first time since October.
A run of three defeats in six games saw their lead slip in November but Madrid have now moved ahead of Atleti by a single point, although Diego Simeone’s side have three games in hand.
Competitive campaign
They are the defending champions and the competition's most successful club but, although his side are on top, Vázquez admits he does not believe Zidane’s team has the advantage. "The league has been very competitive. There are no easy games because every team makes it difficult for us," the 29-year-old said. "Atlético has the advantage, but we’ll keep fighting right until the end for everything".
Marcos Asensio scored the second goal at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium as Madrid bounced back from dropping points against lowly Elche in a 1-1 draw on Wednesday. The 24-year-old forward notched his first goal of the 2020-21 campaign in the win over eighth-placed Celta, having made seven starts and eight substitute appearances this season in LaLiga.
Asensio started in a front three with Lucas Vázquez and Karim Benzema on Saturday and the Spain international feels he can feel the effects when he is handed playing time. "It’s a long process, I knew it would be difficult but you start getting more minutes, more games under your belt and now we’re seeing the results," Asensio said.