Real Madrid have now more than week to rest after the important victory in the Champions League against Galatasaray (0-1) until their next match in La Liga. It will be at home against Leganés, the bottom of the table, so a good way to recover some confidence after the defeat in Mallorca. Perhaps the postponed El Clásico could have been beneficial for the squad.
A bad result in the clash against the big rival FC Barcelona could have had a really negative impact in the team. The Blaugranas are also very vulnerable, as they showed in the Champions League against Slavia Praga, but nonetheless the Catalan team is topping the table in La Liga.
Though the cancelled match would have proven to be definitive, a number of betting sites all have Madrid as the only team who could claim the title instead of Barcelona. Atlético Madrid odds to win La Liga are 21.0 and Simeone’s team is weakest than ever, even with the great signings they did during the summer.
Taking in consideration the strength of the rivals, Los Blancos could fight for La Liga title until the end. El Clásico was postponed until the 18th of December, and by then the team should have in their pocket the ticket to the Last 16 round of the Champions League. Besides, many important players are injured like Luka Modric or Gareth Bale, whereas others should recover the form: Isco, Hazard or Jovic.
All those factors give us some hope for improvements during the next weeks. Without El Clásico, Real Madrid calendar is quite easy, with three consecutive games at Bernabéu against Leganés, Betis and Galatasaray that should be three straight victories. Only two transfers to Eibar and Alavés -both team in the lower part of the table-, and one tough trip to Valencia before facing Barcelona at Camp Nou.
However, the team has been proven vulnerable no matter the rival this season. The defense line is not as its best -especially Sergio Ramos and Varane-, whereas Courtois has been inconsistent. Another problem is to convert the chances into goals because right now only Karim Benzema is keeping the level in the attacking line. With some improvements in all their lines, Los Blancos should finish the year with options open in all competitions, especially in La Liga, the biggest goal of the season.
