Real Madrid’s untimely injury crisis in attack might be giving coach Zinedine Zidane a headache but the one player he is desperate to not be without for the December 18 meeting with Barcelona plays in midfield.
Brazil international Casemiro is just one booking from suspension and while the coach’s options have taken a blow by Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale adding their names to those of the already unavailable Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio, it’s the holding midfielder whose absence will most fill Zidane with dread.
Casemiro has been outstanding this season and has no natural replacement in the squad. He has already picked up five bookings this season but has had one rescinded on appeal and has been on the brink of a ban every since.
The Brazilian has now gone 320 minutes without a yellow card and despite having a reputation in Spain for being able to foul without punishment – dubbed the invisible man by La Liga TV pundit Graham Hunter – it seems only a matter of time before if he is cautioned again.
Casemiro’s suspension tight-rope means he probably will play this weekend against Espanyol at home. But if he comes out of that game without a card he will be rested against Valencia the following weekend to leave him clear for the Clasico.
Zidane’s other injury problems do at least have solutions. Marcelo is almost definitely out for the next three games (against Espanyol, Valencia and Barcelona) but Ferland Mendy will step in. The signing from Lyon last summer has been impressive of late and might have pushed Marcelo for his starting berth at the Nou Camp anyway.
Bale should be back for the Clasico but some swelling in the back of his thigh will keep him out of the next two games.
Hazard will miss all three games. That means Zidane will call on Rodrygo Goes or Vinicius. The former of the two Brazilian teenagers could play in both Saturday’s meeting with Espanyol and the trip to Mestalla a week on Sunday.
Zidane’s other concern going into the biggest game of the season so far is the sharpness of Karim Benzema who, like Casemiro, is difficult to replace.
Madrid are fortunate that their final Champions League game against Club Brugge has nothing riding on it so the Frenchman can be rested for that one.
Luka Jovic, gifted a Spanish dictionary at the team’s Christmas Party secret Santa – showing that Bale is not the only player to have had difficulties learning the language – should come in to replace him.
There will also be concerns around Sergio Ramos if he picks up a booking in this week’s match against Espanyol because he will then be one booking away from suspension going into the game against Barça. The might mean he joins Casemiro on the sidelines.
Zidane is close to knowing his best side for the league game that will go such a long way to decide the destination of the league title this year. Currently he believes Bale and Benzema will play together up front with Isco, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric fighting for two places in midfield, joining Fede Valverde and Casemiro.
He just needs his Brazil international to avoid suspension, or get it out the way before, the trip to the Camp Nou.
