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Trouble looming – Real Madrid’s brutal fixture schedule and injury crisis post-international break
Real Madrid are currently dealing with a growing injury crisis that is putting pressure on the squad, and the team is hoping that its international players return from the international break without any further issues.
With a busy schedule ahead, the club is gearing up for a series of important matches leading into the Christmas break. This challenging period will see Madrid play nine matches in under a month across three major competitions.
The upcoming schedule includes six La Liga matches, two Champions League encounters, and the highly anticipated Intercontinental Cup final.
The La Liga fixtures include matches against Leganes, Getafe, Athletic Club, Girona, Rayo Vallecano, and Sevilla. In addition, Madrid will face tough Champions League challenges against Liverpool and Atalanta, both away from home.
On top of these, there is the Intercontinental Cup final on December 18 at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, where Madrid will compete against an opponent yet to be determined.
It all starts this month
The team’s first match after the international break will be on November 24 against Leganes. This game is expected to serve as a warm-up for their crucial Champions League tie against Liverpool.
Madrid need to secure a win at Anfield if they are to avoid jeopardising their chances of advancing in the tournament.
Liverpool, the current Premier League leaders, will be a tough opponent, and a loss could make Madrid’s qualification for the knockout stages much more difficult.
What lies in December?
The beginning of December will be especially demanding for Madrid. The team will play three La Liga matches within a week. On December 1, they will host Getafe and just a few days later, on December 4, they will face Athletic Club away from home.
A few days after that, they will travel to Girona for another tough fixture on December 7. This stretch of games will test Madrid’s squad depth and resilience, especially with the added strain of having to rotate players due to injuries.
UCL and Intercontinental commitment
Following this intense league schedule, Madrid will return to European competition with a Champions League match against Atalanta on December 10.
This is a crucial game as Madrid look to maintain their position in the competition. After that, they will face Rayo Vallecano at home, though the exact date and time of this match are yet to be confirmed.
The Intercontinental Cup will be the next major challenge, with Madrid hoping to add another trophy to their collection. The match is scheduled for December 18 at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
Madrid’s potential opponents could come from various continents, including teams like Pachuca, Al-Ain, Al-Ahly, and Auckland City. The South American representative will be determined by the final of the Copa Libertadores, where Atletico Mineiro and Botafogo will compete for the spot.
The Christmas break
Madrid will wrap up their demanding schedule just before Christmas with a home match against Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu. This game is set to take place on December 21, 22, or 23, depending on the final fixture details.
It will mark the end of a challenging period that has tested the squad’s depth and their ability to handle a heavy workload.
With so many crucial fixtures ahead, Real Madrid’s focus will be on maintaining player fitness, dealing with the ongoing injury issues, and staying sharp as they look to navigate through this busy period.
Each match will be vital in ensuring they stay competitive across all competitions, especially with the holiday season just around the corner.
The festival called the UEFA Champions League returned to the Santiago Bernabeu last night as Los Blancos hosted Inter Milan in their very first game in the competition this season.
Jose Mourinho had massive selection dilemmas in midfield, and eventually opted to start Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside Federico Valverde in the absence of Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva and Eduardo Camavinga.
That experiment did not work out, and Real Madrid consistently lost the midfield battle on the night. Yet, they managed to capitalise on moments of individual brilliance and hold on to a 2-1 win to register their biggest win of the season yet.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 2-1 Inter Milan.
Two lucky goals
Real Madrid did not take long to go 2-0 up against Inter Milan last night, but that had more to do with the visitors’ sloppy defence rather than Los Blancos’ brilliance.
The men in white started the game pressing well, but Inter Milan looked very shaky in possession. They made two errors in the first 20 minutes, and Real Madrid capitalised and converted both.
Kylian Mbappe’s opener came off a moment of mayhem between Inter Milan’s defenders where the ball was left in no man’s land. Brahim Diaz pounced on it and played it through to the French forward, who made no mistake.
Minutes later, Federico Valverde directly dispossessed the goalkeeper with his press and deflected the ball into the back of the net, making it 2-0. Those were the only goals Los Blancos scored on the night.
While there is nothing wrong with capitalising on defensive errors and using that to lay the foundation for the win, the fact remains that Real Madrid were largely unimpressive throughout the 90 minutes. Inter Milan committing those errors, needless to say, was lucky for Real Madrid who rode on them to take three points.
Thibaut Courtois saves the day
Despite Real Madrid taking an early lead and even having the home advantage, it was Inter Milan who dominated large parts of the game and kept the lion’s share of possession.
At one point, it looked like Jose Mourinho’s men did not even bother having possession as they sat back and defended, hoping to break on the counter and convert.
That plan, needless to say, led to Inter Milan seeing a lot of the Real Madrid goal and putting serious pressure on the hosts’ defence.
Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate and Marc Cucurella all had strong games at the back, but in the end, it was Thibaut Courtois who saved the day for Los Blancos.
The Belgian goalkeeper made a staggering seven saves for his side on the night including two from inside the box. Inter Milan’s finishing was indeed poor, but Courtois’ greatness stood out and ensured Real Madrid held on to their tight lead.
If not for the veteran goalkeeper, Mourinho’s men could well be staring at defeat. Their performance, after all, was unimpressive and Inter Milan had some big chances to equalise denied by Courtois.
Three massive points
The team’s performance against Inter Milan was not convincing, and that will be something for Mourinho to dig into and look to improve.
What Real Madrid will be pleased about, however, is taking all three points away from the night, for they are absolutely massive from the point of view of the competition.
Inter Milan represented one of Real Madrid’s biggest challenges in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League alongside Arsenal, and to take three points from one of their two elite opponents is worth its weight in gold.
They still have Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, RB Leipzig, LASK Linz, Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk and AEK Athens to come, and Real Madrid will back themselves against most of the teams in that list.
Taking three points in one of their two most difficult games will go a long way in tying them down to a top-8 finish if they can win the easier clashes while also handing them some leeway for a potential defeat at some stage in the competition.
