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The Cathedral examines whether Real Madrid is a lion or a lamb

Karim Benzema. / Pablo Morano (Reuters)

day 18

Athletic, which connects three games without winning, receives a team that is confident of taking advantage of its cup comeback as a turning point

Oscar Bellot

Quique Setién recalled in the preview of the cup duel that measured Villarreal against Real Madrid on Thursday that an injured animal can be much more dangerous. The whites, whose defeat in the Spanish Super Cup and the bad feelings they have been transmitting since the competition returned threatened to precipitate a crisis, left the Ceramics Stadium alive, although casting doubt on whether they made it because they are in the process of become the kings of the jungle again or, on the contrary, they behaved like lambs whose survival instinct allowed them to take advantage of their predator’s overconfidence to save their necks. In San Mamés, land of lions, the unknown can be cleared up about a squad that had a bipolar attitude in the tile area.

Erratic and self-conscious in the first half, Real Madrid revived in the second half with a trademark comeback that could restore their self-esteem. “The reaction was very good,” said Carlo Ancelotti this Saturday, who is confident that the victory against Villarreal will be a turning point in a stormy month of January. With that objective he read the primer to his pupils. “We played effective football, but we also made mistakes. You cannot train, you can only recover, so we watch videos to avoid those mistakes and not repeat them, “he said on the eve of another high-flying classic at La Catedral.

Under the magnifying glass are the “positioning and reading” failures when applying pressure that have cost Real Madrid so dearly in recent times, as Ancelotti acknowledged. “Sometimes we don’t push and we have time for it, sometimes the line is not together. We sometimes go out under pressure when we shouldn’t go out. Sometimes individual decisions are made that affect us. Our area is a friend, not an enemy, that’s what I tell the players. We must control our house well. Everything that can get behind the line can be a danger, controlling it well is essential. Before pressing, you have to control your back well, ”said a coach who is obsessed with correcting those alarming imbalances that have contributed to his squad conceding eight goals in the last four games. “Intensity and ideas will be important, and not giving away what we have been giving away,” warned the lawsuit this Sunday.

Ancelotti:

Ancelotti does not have a good memory of his last visit to the Athletic fiefdom, where a year ago his team fell in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey. Then, as now, Real Madrid was far from offering optimal performance and, two weeks after stumbling in San Mamés, the whites’ building threatened to collapse after succumbing to PSG in the Parque de los Príncipes. The rest is well-known history.

The infirmary brings upside down a block that will step on the rojiblanco temple without Carvajal, Lucas Vázquez, Alaba, Tchouaméni and Hazard. Ancelotti summoned Modric, to whom he granted rest on Thursday, but he did not enlist any Castilla footballer this time, so he only has 18 expedition members for a match that Athletic also urgently faces.

Valverde mistrusts

Ernesto Valverde’s team has only added two points in the last three days and the defeat in the derby last Saturday has left consequences both in the standings, with the lions out of European positions, and in the making of the eleven against Real Madrid . Yeray, expelled in Anoeta, will not be able to be from the game, after the Appeals Committee rejected Athletic’s appeal and the Court of Arbitration for Sport denied the precautionary order for the red card that the center-back saw against Real Sociedad.

Iñigo Martínez is still injured, which puts the focus on Aitor Paredes, a 22-year-old cub with only five games in the elite, all of them as a substitute. Everything indicates that he will form a couple with Vivian. “He has little experience in the First Division, but he is prepared for important games,” said Valverde, who does not trust the bump in his opponent. «We would all want a crisis of those, if we win the League and lose the Super Cup, we could already have a problem of this type. He has enough arguments to win or overcome, as against Villarreal. Unlike Barça, which sets a characteristic style and way of playing, what it does is spare no expense or take prisoners. When you’re playing well, that’s when you’re about to lose. You can never neglect yourself, ”the Txingurri reasoned.

probable lineups

  • Athletic:
    Unai Simón, De Marcos, Vivian, Paredes, Yuri, Dani García, Sancet, Vesga, Iñaki Williams, Guruzeta and Nico Williams.

  • Real Madrid:
    Courtois, Nacho, Militao, Rüdiger, Mendy, Kroos, Modric, Camavinga, Valverde, Benzema and Vinicius.

  • Referee:
    Sánchez Martínez (Murcian Committee).

  • Hour:
    21:00 h.

  • Estadio:
    San Mames.

  • TV:
    Dazn.

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