Barcelona got the better of Real Betis on Saturday night, moving to 27 out of 27 points in La Liga after just nine games in the competition.
Playing later today, the pressure is thus on Real Madrid to ensure they do not fall any further behind ahead of El Clasico, and that will not be easy in any measure.
Los Blancos did indeed mount a historic comeback against Roma, but the fact of the matter remains that they are far from their best. Going up against a Sevilla who have looked solid this season, they will have to step up their game to take three points.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Sevilla.
The critical suspension
The talk of the town for the past week has been around Vinicius Jr.’s red card against Villarreal and the resultant suspension that sees him sit four games out.
Vinicius will have to serve a four-match suspension. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
While the player’s foul itself was punishable for two games, his reaction to being sent off has cost him an additional two games, and he will now sit out the next month of league action.
Tomorrow’s game is the first of the four he will miss, and Jose Mourinho has a task ahead of him to find the best working lineup without the Brazilian star.
So far this season, Vinicius has been a shadow of his former self, and far from his best, which may well make Mourinho feel his suspension is a blessing in disguise. After all, it hands him freedom to experiment with the attacking line.
In all likelihood, it will be Yan Diomande who replaces Vinicius on the left-flank and Arda Guler who starts on the right wing to ensure Real Madrid have the required creativity on the field to tackle Sevilla.
There is, however, another option of bringing Endrick in after his promising cameo against Roma, and it remains to be seen which lineup the manager goes with in the end.
Changes to be made in midfield
The biggest takeaway from Real Madrid’s comeback win over Roma was that the midfield combination of Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde is not delivering enough.
While they are defensively reliable, neither player has an immaculate passing range or the ability to break lines – something Los Blancos have struggled with in recent times. Further, the duo is simply unable to hand the team control of games.
Bernardo Silva’s arrival to midfield against Roma, in that sense, made a massive difference, and there is a strong case for the Portuguese star to return to the starting lineup and provide the control Real Madrid are lacking.
One of Valverde or Tchouameni will have to be dropped for such a chance to manifest, and that remains the big headache for the manager.
There is also an option of keeping all three players on the field, but that would involve benching the right-back and starting Valverde in that department.
With El Clasico just around the corner, Mourinho has massive decisions to make on what his best working midfield is. Tomorrow’s game could be the perfect opportunity for him to test out combinations.
A massive return
Defensive depth remains a concern for Real Madrid. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Real Madrid’s defensive depth has been worrying this season, especially with Eder Militao being unavailable from the beginning of the season and Raul Asencio also suffering a big blow.
Antonio Rudiger’s fitness remains an unstable element in itself, while Dean Huijsen and Ibrahima Konate have been the only other options so far. Until now.
Earlier this week, Real Madrid defender Militao was given the medical all-clear and is included in the squad to face Sevilla later today. Needless to say, that comes as a massive boost for Los Blancos.
Militao, when fit, is one of the best defenders on the planet and was firmly seen as a regular starter in Real Madrid’s long-term plans until his unfortunate ACL injury.
The past two seasons, however, have not been easy for him in any capacity, as he has had to repeatedly undergo surgeries, leading to a lack of continuity.
With the player back, Mourinho must be careful to phase him back gradually as the team can simply not afford for the player to face any more setbacks. His body, at this point, has already gone through a lot.
Tonight could be the night Militao returns to action, but his return to the starting XI must be carefully managed over months to ensure he does not force himself into another setback.