Real Madrid travel to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium to face Sevilla on Sunday night following a chastening defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. The hosts, meanwhile, are at the top of the La Liga table, winning four games and drawing one, and are two points ahead of Madrid.
Sunday’s match will also see former Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui face off against the club he managed last season for the first time, and he will want to show the Madrid board that his sacking was a bad decision.
Let’s take a look at the 3 key battles when Sevilla host Real Madrid on Sunday:
Joan Jordan vs Toni Kroos
Central midfielder Joan Jordan has been a revelation for Sevilla this season, scoring twice in four games since his move from Eibar in the summer transfer window. The 25-year-old is a player who is strong from set-piece situations, as well as shooting from distance and is a good passer of the ball from midfield.
He has averaged 68.8 passes this season, with a pass percentage rate of 89.8%. He will be up against a midfield maestro in Toni Kroos, who was the only Real Madrid midfielder who showed some intent in the game against PSG. With James Rodriguez most likely playing in midfield for Madrid, Jordan could have some space to exploit in the middle of the park.
Gareth Bale vs Sergio Reguilon
Sergio Reguilon will play against his parent club on Sunday, and like manager Lopetegui, will have something to prove to Real Madrid fans. The left-back has had a fine start to the season and has already got on the scoresheet, while also registering an assist so far in the season.
Reguilon will play against Gareth Bale, who has looked like the only attacker, along with Karim Benzema who can make a positive impact in the final third for Los Blancos. Bale has scored twice and registered one assist so far in the season.
Karim Benzema vs Diego Carlos
26-year-old Brazilian defender Diego Carlos will be tasked with the duty of marking in-form Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who has scored 4 goals in 4 games for the Spanish side.
Carlos is in his first season at the Spanish club and has had a decent start to his season, but will face his toughest opponent yet in the form of Benzema. This should be an interesting battle that could very well determine the outcome of the game Real are desperate to win.