The Valladolid welcomes Real Madrid this Friday in the return of both to Santander League after Qatar 2022, in a match that has the incentive of return to the scene of the French striker Karim Benzema after doubts about his premature departure from the World Cup, due to injury, against a blanquivioleta team that came to a break after adding nine points out of 15 possible.
All eyes will be on the current Ballon d’Or winner. Benzema arrives with a spirit of revenge after difficult months both at a sporting level. The muscular fatigue, discomfort and injuries They have made him miss nine of Real Madrid’s 21 games until Qatar 2022. His last appearance with the white shirt, 26 minutes against Celtic in Glasgow, on November 2. Since then, four games absent and a World Cup that appeared on the horizon as his great objective, but it vanished. One day after the start of the tournament, the French Football Federation announced that Benzema suffered a quadriceps injury in his left leg. Everything in order until December 10, in a Real Madrid friendly, Benzema played again.
His name flew over the French camp during the semi-final and final, with Deschamps wanting to avoid the subject at all costs. Benzema responded, training in Madrid as normal and with his own messages and those of third parties, including his representative, ensuring that could have played after the group stage. It was not like that, he could not help France to defend their crown, which they lost in favor of Argentina, and he withdrew from the national team. And now, as in the almost six years he has been absent for non-sporting reasons, after the scandal surrounding the accusation of alleged blackmail against his teammate Mathieu Valbuena, Real Madrid will once again be his refuge.
Far from the version that made him win the Ballon d’Or, thanks to his 44 goals and 15 assists last season, Benzema he will look for his revalidation in José Zorrilla leading an attack together with his best partner, Vinicius Junior, and a right wing that aims to occupy Marco Asensio.
will count Ancelotti with the Croatian Luke Modric and with the French Aurelien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavingawho joined training this Thursday after the World Cup in Qatar, but the coach said at a press conference that he will give “priority” to those who have been training in Valdebebas the longest.
situation that leaves the open door to the Spanish Dani Ceballos, who, if his ownership is confirmed, would be the third of the course after a summer of 2021 in which he brushed his departure, but remained convinced that he could gain prominence. However, he only has 209 minutes and, with a contract until the end of the season and being able to negotiate from January 1 with any club, he will have the opportunity to win his next contract at José Zorrilla, either with a renewal or away from Real Madrid .
Ancelotti will bet alongside him with Kroos exercising more of a pivot and with Fede Valverde to reinforce the midfield. In defense, Nacho could win the game over Militao and Rüdiger, since he has been working at the Ciudad Deportiva for longer.
For his part, the Real Valladolidchaired by ex-Madridista Ronaldo Nazario, has the unknown how the break has felt to the blanquivioletas players -who only had El Yamiq in Qatar -with hamstring discomfort that kept him out of the squad- and to Plata -who, predictably, will play, but has been feverish and without training-.
None of these aspects worries the Burgos coach, José Rojo ‘Pacheta’, who had not yet decided on the starting eleven that will jump onto the pitch at José Zorrilla, almost two months after the previous game, since he has recovered pieces, but also has several doubts. Among them, that of Gonzalo Plata, although everything indicates that it will be from the game, while Anuar, Olaza, El Yamiq and Feddal are ruled out. In the comeback chapter are Luis Pérez and Kenedy -although the latter is not around to play too many minutes, having been away from the competition for several months-.
Nor has he given too much importance to the rival that they are going to have in front of them since, as he has pointed out, “all games are prepared in the same way, whoever the opponent is”, although he is aware of the “level and quality” that the Real Madrid players possess and, in this sense, , has clarified that his footballers “know what their qualities are and they have studied how to combat them”.
In his opinion, the key to being able to surprise Ancelotti’s men goes through “stay close together on defense, to negate their speed and ability to play between the lines of people like Benzema, and being brave in attack, seeking to surprise them in transitions, although there are few teams that have managed to do so”.
‘Pacheta’ is clear that “Madrid has everything: good start, continuity, creation and definitionand also defends well and recovers quickly”, which is why he assumes the difficulty of this league event, although he has warned that his confidence is “maximum” towards his players and he is “excited” and “expectant” for what may happen. ” I think you can win the gameand we are also going to have a full stadium, in which there will be people from Madrid, but the majority will be supporting us, and we must take advantage of that push to continue making ourselves strong at home”, he specified.
probable lineups
Valladolid: Jordi Masip; Iván Fresneda, Joaquín Fernández, Javi Sánchez, Sergio Escudero; Aguado, Iván Sánchez, Roque Mesa; Óscar Plano, Sergio León, Silver.
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Nacho, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Ceballos, Valverde; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius.
Referee: José Luis Munuera Montero (Andaluz Committee).
Estadio: Jose Zorilla.
Hour: 9.30pm CET (8.30pm GMT).
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stalls: Valladolid (12th, 17 points); Real Madrid (2nd, 35 points).
The key: Valladolid’s ability to suffer when they do not have the ball against a Real Madrid team that has scored in the 14 LaLiga Santander games they have played to date, being the only team to do so.
The data: Real Valladolid have not won any of their last 13 games against Real Madrid in LaLiga, with 11 losses and 2 draws.
The phrase
‘package’: “Real Madrid does everything well, they have players of a very high level and, although Real Valladolid plays well, they can also win, because they know how to find spaces”.
Ancelotti: “Benzema came back quite well. He has returned a player with a lot of motivation and enthusiasm ”.
The environment: League return after the World Cup break. Real Madrid has 13 players who have participated in this, so we will have to see how they respond in the league, and how the blanquivioleta team does, after a month and a half without competing in the league, although with five friendlies -one win, three defeats and a draw- and the Copa del Rey in which they beat Arenas Club 1-5.
