The leadership demands the Real

Defending the leadership of the First Division is not for the Real a matter related to the obligation but to the requirement. No one will claim the squad of Imanol an uncompromising defense of the first place but it is exciting and, consequently, it wears out. For the second consecutive day, the Txuri Urdin will defend the lead away from home and yesterday’s results force the Blue and Whites to at least draw today in Balaídos (7:00 p.m., Movistar LaLiga). A complicated mission in itself that ends up forming an almost explosive combination with Sunday’s derby at Anoeta. Just 72 hours after playing today, Real will face Athletic in the first real rematch of the Cup final. Arriving in a good physical condition at that match and in first place, passing through Balaídos before, doubles the level of a requirement for a Real that does not renounce the challenge.

After a very difficult start to the season – one point in five games – Celta have won three of their last five games and, after thrashing in Getafe on Monday, in Vigo they face this afternoon’s game as an opportunity to start getting closer to the upper middle part of the table which is where, due to technical talent, a priori the Vigo team should be. Since the arrival of Coudet, which will soon be one year old, Celta has exhibited a defined personality, which lacked regularity to obtain more results, but it cannot be doubted that the Real are facing a dangerous team today.

Three wins in four visits

The txuri urdin team has won in three of their last four visits to Balaídos but maintaining that idyll with a field so linked to the club’s history will force them not to stray from their most reliable version, the one they exhibited for more than an hour at the Metropolitan, especially in its defensive aspect. Quotation marks, Mendez, Mina, Denis Suarez O Nolito They make up a squad with enough scoring instinct to take advantage of the slightest loophole that the Txuri Urdin defense can offer. Celta, on the other hand, is a team that plays open, which offers spaces and opportunities to hurt the back, which undoubtedly opens up an interesting match plan for Real to explore.

The hypothesis that the pair Sorloth–Isaac Repeat in the starting ‘eleven’ he adapts like a glove to that hypothesis in which the Real could take advantage of an open field match against Celta. But that is where the derby enters the scene because although Imanol He guaranteed that the duel against Athletic is not going to mislead them, it seems difficult that some decision is not mediated by the derby, even just because of its immediacy.

If the technician, in any case, reserves Zubimendi for Sunday, for example, he does not have much room for maneuver in the core either. Would repeat Guevara and Merino, with the doubt of whether Navarro has another chance for Silva to be cooler. Zubeldia can follow on the axis by Aritz, with Gorosabel and Aihen, who returns after the penalty, on the sides. The largest fan would be in attack. Yes Sorloth O Isaac they start on the bench, Port and Januzaj They offer alternatives to form a more traditional trident and, likewise, with full guarantees.