Real Madrid puts Benzema's absence in the balance

Real Madrid faces a nice litmus test this Sunday.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
10 September 2022 Saturday 23:42
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Real Madrid puts Benzema's absence in the balance

Real Madrid faces a nice litmus test this Sunday. The injury suffered by Karim Benzema against Celtic, which for the time being will force him to miss at least his team's next two games, is a real challenge for the Whites.

Since Cristiano's departure, Benzema has emerged as the real catalyst for Madrid's successes, especially showing off last season. Against Mallorca, this Sunday, Carlo Ancelotti has already confirmed that it will be Eden Hazard who will take charge of the attack. The Belgian already saw the door in the Champions League.

"I'm not going to ask Hazard to score goals, I'm going to ask him to play well," said Ancelotti after making it public that the Belgian is the chosen one for the first day without the French star. A statement that collides with Madrid history. Goal 9 was always required, but in the current squad, due to the refusal to sign any player who competes with Benzema, there is no substitute with a similar profile.

And the only 9 in the area, finisher, Mariano Díaz, does not have the confidence of the Italian coach. So it will be Hazard, who went from not playing in the last two games to being the chosen one when the injury arrived in the European premiere at Celtic Park, who faces the moment he so desired. Continuity after scoring and assisting in Glasgow. The opportunity to give Real Madrid what he feels he owes so much after years marked by injuries and pain that took him away from his true level.

The party already invited Ancelotti to make way for the second unit. Without touching the tactical identity, with Rodrygo entering as the third piece of the trident and Marco Asensio eagerly waiting for more minutes after deciding to stay at Real Madrid. Eleven goals in four games, three of them away, is an average that Ancelotti wants to maintain against a favorable rival, a Mallorca team that he has defeated in eight of his last nine matches.

The objective also points to the defensive work after Thiaut Courtois, who arrives just at the appointment after overcoming some knee pain, has conceded a goal in each day played and without having been able to leave his goal to zero yet.

For this, he will increase the muscle with the entry of Antonio Rüdiger in the center of the defense for the injured Militao, with options also for Nacho and Lucas Vázquez could rest Dani Carvajal on the right side. The rotations also point to a spinal cord in which the name of Dani Ceballos appears strongly for his first start.

The undefeated condition in two outings to difficult fields such as San Mamés (0-0) and Vallecas (0-2), with a balance of two goals in favor and zero against, fuels the optimism of Real Mallorca to face the complicated visit to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

It will be the second game at 2:00 p.m. that the Mexican Javier Aguirre's team will play, of the three consecutive games set by LaLiga; the third will arrive next week against Almería in Son Moix, a circumstance that has generated unanimous protests from fans, players and the Mallorcan coaching staff.

In the midst of the deep discomfort due to meetings at lunchtime, with high temperatures and humidity, the vermilion have demanded to "show their faces" before the almighty Real Madrid. The line with five defenders, three of them central, is giving good results to "Vasco" in the first days.

The Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic has not scored a goal away from home and the three he has conceded (in the 1-2 defeat and the 1-1 draw against Betis and Girona) have come from eleven meters. In defense, the Serbian Tamija Nastasic could have minutes accompanying Raillo and Valjent, or even debut, if Aguirre dispenses with the former Ponferradina player José Copete, who has made his debut in the First Division with Mallorca this season.

The Mallorcan midfield, on the other hand, may suffer variations once Ruiz de Galarreta and Idrissu Baba have recovered from their respective injuries; the Eibar and the Ghanaian could have options against the starters until now, the Argentine Rodrigo Battaglia, the French Clément Grenier and the Galician Dani Rodríguez.

Above, the Kosovar Vedat Muriqi, author of two goals, is immovable. He could have been accompanied at the Bernabéu by one of the last reinforcements, the Zimbabwean Tino Kadewere, but an injury to the quadriceps of his right leg suffered in training on Friday will prevent him from debuting with the vermilion shirt. Some 300 Majorcan fans will accompany the team on the trip to the fiefdom of the reigning League and Champions League champions.

Real Madrid: Courtois; Lucas Vazquez, Rüdiger, Nacho, Mendy; Tchouameni, Dani Ceballos, Camavinga; Rodrigo, Vinicius, Hazard.

Mallorca: Rajkovic; Maffeo, Copete or Nastasic, Raillo, Valjent, Coast; Battaglia, Ruiz de Galarreta, Dani Rodriguez; Kang In Lee, Photographer.

Referee: Jorge Figueroa Vázquez (Andalusian school).

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Time: 14:00 CET.

Positions: Real Madrid (1st, 12 points); Mallorca (11th, 5 points).

The data: Mallorca has only scored points in seven of the thirty visits to the Santiago Bernabéu (two wins and five draws). His last triumph dates back to May 24, 2009.