Real Madrid hosted Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, marking the players' return from international duty. Modric was injured due to muscle overload, and Cortuis was diagnosed with a back injury just a day before the game.
Even with the absence of crucial players, Real Madrid did have enough quality to see off the likes of Osasuna. Coming in with a very good run of form, Real Madrid might have been confident going into the fixture.
However, what we saw in Madrid suggests that things could have turned out very badly for the Champions. It was Benzema’s first game after the injury he suffered against Celtic in the Champions League fixture. Karim was performing as well as expected, going wide, carrying the ball, cutting in, We even saw a magical volley from Karim which went kissing the cross-bar out wide.
With players like Tchouameni having a rough game against Osasuna whilst giving out possessions cheaply, it was Vinicius who was able to give Madrid a much-needed lead with a shot which might have been intended for a cross.
Osasuna was able to hold up play and give Madrid all sorts of defensive problems, with the absence of Coutuis, Lunin got his chance to impress the Bernabeu but was beaten by Kike Garcia When his header found the back of the net.
Although Real Madrid tried their best to recover from the draw when a penalty was awarded to the Home side following a Red Card to David Garcia, Karim Benzema blasted it wide over the top of Alvarez, wasting Madrid’s opportunity to get the lead.
Real Madrid thoroughly dominated the game but was sloppy with their finishing with Vinicius getting a couple of chances to score, As Osasuna parked their bus it became more difficult to penetrate that Osasuna back-line.
It might come out as a draw but games like these make teams vulnerable to getting leapfrogged by their rival team in the league, and it did happen as Barcelona was able to regain that top spot in the league after a very long wait.
Madrid and Barcelona both drew a game in their fixtures, which made them equal on points, with Barca having the upper hand in goal difference. Barcelona will be looking to pounce on any chance that Real Madrid might stumble upon.
We can remember the game against Real Betis during the 0-1 defeat of Real Madrid. It tainted Madrid’s confidence going into the season, which ultimately resulted in them finishing in 3rd position behind Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid has put undue pressure on themselves as El Clasico approaches, and despite having several players injured on international duty, Barcelona's best players appear to be firing on all cylinders.
Real Madrid is now without their superior goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, but he is speculated to be back on time for El-Classico. With Karim Benzema fully fit and for him, it was quite a good game except for the penalty miss, Madrid will be delighted to have him back.
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