Real Madrid

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has backed Luka Jovic to come good at the Santiago Bernabeu after he failed to get on the scoresheet in Los Blancos' 4-0 Copa del Rey win over Real Zaragoza on Wednesday.

Jovic has scored just once since his arrival from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer for an initial €65 million.

Per Marca's J.L. Calderon, Zidane said:

"I'd like him to score, but he'll get there if he keeps working. 

"He's young, he's just arrived, and the good thing is that he's in a team where there are a lot of big players and he has to adapt.

"This delicate moment will be good for him; when he finally scores, everything changes."

The 22-year-old was handed just his eighth start of the campaign on Wednesday, but he was taken off after 73 minutes with Real 3-0 up courtesy of goals from Raphael Varane, Lucas Vazquez and Vinicius Jr.

His replacement, Karim Benzema, rounded out the win with a goal of his own:

According to Managing Madrid's Kiyan Sobhani, Jovic and Benzema had the same number of touches in the game (16) despite the latter only coming on for the final part. That is emblematic of Jovic's time at Real Madrid, for whom he has cut an isolated figure up front and had difficulty getting involved.

His only goal for the club in 21 appearances came in a 5-0 win over Leganes in October. He has contributed assists against Sevilla and Valencia.

He's only spent a total of 748 minutes on the pitch but hasn't done much to warrant a more significant role when he has played. Equally, it's not giving him much time to contribute or get in sync with his team-mates, who could perhaps also do more to bring him into the game.

The striker has shown he can be prolific, though, having produced 27 goals and seven assists at Frankfurt last season.

Real Madrid qualified for the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday after beating Real Zaragoza 4-0.

Raphael Varane gave the visitors an early lead, and Lucas Vazquez added to the advantage before half-time. Vinicius Jr. all but secured the win after the break with a third goal, and Karim Benzema also scored off the bench.

Los Blancos needed just six minutes to open the scoring, getting a dream start in the tie. Toni Kroos played a short corner with Dani Carvajal before firing a ball into the box that Varane easily converted at the back post.

The early goal was exactly what Real needed, and they soon took control of the contest. James Rodriguez had a decent look on goal to double the lead, but his shot flew wide.

Zaragoza had some success in midfield―a likely result of the rested Casemiro not playing―but overall things were fairly comfortable for Los Blancos. Alphonse Areola didn't have a real save to make until the 24th minute, when he flashed his talent to deny Shinji Kagawa.

Federico Valverde blasted a shot over the crossbar, and a deflected Kagawa effort momentarily scared Areola before bouncing wide of his post.

Zinedine Zidane's troops needed a second goal to feel a little safer, and they got it after 32 minutes through Vazquez. Kroos again provided the assist, sending his team-mate through on goal with a fine pass.

Carvajal missed an excellent chance to add a third goal before half-time, heading right at the goalkeeper, and Miguel Linares had a shot charged down before the official blew for the break.

Los Blancos did not sit on their lead early in the second half, continuing to attack in search of more goals. Luka Jovic in particular was eager to find the net, but the best chances fell to the hosts early.

Both James Igbekeme and Kagawa failed to hit the target after good spells, and Inigo Eguaras should have done better, losing his nerve when he came face-to-face with Areola.

With less than 20 minutes left to play, Vinicius and Rodriguez combined well to send the latter through on goal, and the Brazilian finished calmly to make it 3-0.

Kagawa deserved a goal for his strong outing but couldn't beat Areola after 78 minutes. Substitute Benzema got his name on the scoresheet with a close-range finish.

Brahim Diaz tried for a fifth with a late effort that flew over the goal, while Zaragoza had several more chances for a consolation goal but couldn't get one past Areola. 

    

What's Next?

Los Blancos will host Atletico Madrid in a crucial La Liga clash on Saturday. Real are top of the league, while Atletico are 10 points behind in fifth.

Zaragoza, fourth in the Segunda Division, visit league-leading Cadiz on Sunday.

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has defended his team's brand of football, with his forwards struggling to find the net in 2020. 

The most recent weekend of La Liga action was a good one for Los Blancos, as Barcelona's loss at Valencia gave them the chance to move three points clear at the summit of the table. They duly obliged on Sunday, with Nacho the goalscorer in a 1-0 victory at Real Valladolid.

Even so, some questions have been asked about Madrid's playing style, with the team far from fluid in recent weeks despite their ascension to the top of the table. It's something Zidane said he wasn't concerned about ahead of the clash with Real Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, per Daniel Lewis of Goal:

"I don't think the Bernabeu would accept a thousand passes without a shot. Everyone has their own style of play. I played at the Bernabeu, and what the fans want to see is their team give their all on the field. It has always been that way.

"When fans see the team sweat for the shirt, that's the most important thing in the end because you can't always win.

"... Two months ago things were not going well, and there was a lot of criticism—that is not going to change. What we want is to continue what we are doing."

Zidane would have been thankful for Nacho's strike at Valladolid, as his team had been frustrated for long spells at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla:

In fairness to Zidane, he's not been able to call upon a consistent attacking setup for much of the campaign.

Eden Hazard, the club's big-name summer signing, has been sidelined since November due to injury, while Gareth Bale continues to have fitness issues. Marco Asensio is also poised to miss the majority of the campaign due to a long-term problem.

While Karim Benzema has excelled in the main this term, he too has had some niggles in the new year, and Luka Jovic has failed to find form since joining in the summer.

Per OptaJose, Zidane has made sure they are difficult to beat regardless, conceding just 13 goals from their 21 top-flight matches this term.

With Barcelona undergoing a spell of transition under new manager Quique Setien, Los Blancos feel like the big favourites for La Liga glory.

Zidane will hope the return of Hazard can give this team something extra in attack in the coming months. Should the Belgium international find his groove quickly and Madrid retain those solid defensive foundations, a strong end to the campaign is surely on the cards.

Last summer, Casemiro helped Brazil to win their first Copa America trophy since 2007. He was due a break. A few weeks after the final, he was enjoying some rest with his family in Sao Paulo when his earth shook. It was a Saturday night. He watched on television as his Real Madrid club-mates took a beating from city rivals Atletico Madrid 7-3 in a pre-season tournament in New Jersey. What he saw made his eyes hurt. 

He was due to head to Orlando, Florida, with his mother, wife, their three-year-old daughter, and his sister. It was going be some precious family time, but now all bets were off. He cancelled his holiday. Disney World would have to wait. Instead, he jumped on a plane to Spain so he could report for training at Valdebebas, Real Madrid's training ground, on Monday morning. The following week, he put in a 45-minute shift against Red Bull Salzburg in another pre-season friendly. Real Madrid won 1-0. Order was being restored.

"What's special about Casemiro is the the way he stitches his team's play together," says Donato, who played as a defensive midfielder for Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna in the 1990s. "His reading of the game is excellent. He's one of those players who interprets well the flow of a game. He knows how to anticipate danger. He knows that it's important to defend for Real Madrid.

"He makes everything look easy. He does a lot of things people don't see, sniffing out danger before it happens. But what I love about Casemiro is that he's very mature. When Real Madrid needs him to do something more, he knows the moment to do it. He knows how to both organise his team's play and also when to arrive in the box—to score goals. He knows his function in the team.

"He has the humility to support those skilful, attacking players around him in midfield like Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Isco, but he does what's necessary. When he appears in the box, it's because Real Madrid are not doing well so he pops up and he can score his golitos (little goals) and appear in the photo next day in the newspaper, like he did in the game against Sevilla when he scored two goals."

The weekend before last, Sevilla, who were fourth in the table and five points behind Real Madrid, paid a visit to the Bernabeu. It was a tight match. Casemiro put his side ahead in the second half with a lovely dink over the goalkeeper. Sevilla quickly equalised. Five minutes later, Casemiro headed in the match-winner for Real Madrid.

A lot is made of Casemiro's defensive abilities—he is a runaway leader in La Liga's charts for interceptions made—but he also has a killer instinct; his long-range effort in the 2017 UEFA Champions League final against Juventus to put Real Madrid on the road to victory, for example.

"He does what you want your defensive midfielder to do—he makes excellent tackles; his reading of the game has improved vastly; he's very strong, incredibly fit—and recently he's also started scoring goals," says Phil Kitromilides, TV presenter and a producer of The Spanish Football Podcast. "He's actually scored more goals in his Real Madrid career than Toni Kroos [and the same as Luka Modric]. There's a lot to his game."

Casemiro is a non-negotiable asset for Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane, and his second-most-used player this season behind Karim Benzema. Since the sale of Marcos Llorente to Atletico Madrid during the summer, there is no direct replacement for Casemiro in Real Madrid's squad. Club president Florentino Perez has a meme saved on his phone in which three-quarters of the world is covered by water and the remaining quarter is covered by Casemiro.

Donato makes the point that when Brazil went crashing out of the last FIFA World Cup in the quarter-final stages, Casemiro was noticeably absent from their team through suspension. If he was playing, Belgium wouldn't have found it as easy to flood through Brazil's midfield en route to a 2-1 victory.

Casemiro had a tough start in life. When he was four years old, his father walked out. His mother had to clean houses to bring some money home while Casemiro looked out for his two younger siblings.

It wasn't until he was 14 years old and taken into residency by Sao Paulo as a youth team player that he began sleeping in the same room night after night—he'd been used to alternating between a bed in his house, his aunt's house, his grandparents' house or team-mates' houses. The hardscrabble upbringing has seemingly helped him, however.

"He comes from a country where he was used to it being competitive," says Brazilian-born Donato. "We are very competitive people. He put together what he has from his background with aspects from European football. I did the same myself with the tools I had. With everything I learned in Brazil, I adapted to Europe.

"As a defensive midfielder, we know very well our role. Casemiro has become very important to Real Madrid. There is a lot of competition inside the club— to play there year after year, as he has done, is not easy." 

Casemiro is a consummate professional. He uses a software platform called Wyscout to study opposition teams and players he will encounter. It's not just complete games he watches, but specific details. He likes to anticipate their movements, the positions they take up.

Casemiro did what he had to. pic.twitter.com/jo0URgCRER

— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 14, 2019

"Casemiro admits he doesn't have the most exquisite touch on the Real Madrid team, but he's improved a lot his precision and his judgement," says David Alvarez, a journalist with El Pais. "He uses analysis to better himself. He robs more balls. He commits less fouls, and he has more touches on the ball now than he had, say, three years ago."

For example, Casemiro told Libero magazine he used his advance analysis of Kylian Mbappe to help him steal the ball from the French star during the 2-2 draw between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in a UEFA Champions League game at the Bernabeu in November. And there's nothing Casemiro likes better than robbing the ball.

Casemiro's aptitude for learning and self-improvement is noteworthy. His attention to detail is legendary. He had a gym installed in his house, and he has his own physio. He has his siesta in a custom-built sleep chamber. When he's studying Mbappe and other opponents on video, he rests his legs in equipment designed to help recover the strength in his muscles.

"It's different to see a footballer from Brazil who is so 'European' in his mentality," says Alvarez. "He's very strict on himself. He is not the stereotypical, flamboyant Brazilian footballer. He's a very sober, serious guy. In a lot of aspects, his personality doesn't appear like that of a typical Brazilian footballer. Rodrygo has spoken about how Casemiro is always demanding more work, saying, 'Hey, Rodrygo, let's go to the gym' or 'Let's go to the physio.'"

The work has paid off. After a shaky start at Real Madrid—when he arrived in 2013 overweight for a reported fee of €6 million, and subsequently spent a season on loan at Porto—Casemiro has become irreplaceable, a lynchpin of the famous Real Madrid team which won three UEFA Champions League titles on the bounce from 2016 to 2018 and has designs on reclaiming their crown this season.

"He's still only 27. He has yet to reach his peak," says Kitromilides. "The Real Madrid fans love him. They realise that no else does what he does—he's vital for the team. He's like a machine. Every game, he runs, he makes the tackles, and that's what Real Madrid fans want to see. Almost as much as the flair, they want to see commitment from their players.

"When he made his Real Madrid debut against Real Betis in 2013, I wasn't hugely impressed. I wouldn't have thought he would go on to become a first-choice holding midfielder in the team and win several Champions League titles. It speaks a lot for him as a person, as a player—the way he has learned and developed. He bided his time until Zidane gave him his opportunity to establish himself. His trajectory—to go from Castilla [Real Madrid's reserve team] to captaining Brazil is quite a story."

              

Follow Richard on Twitter: @Richard_Fitz

Zinedine Zidane has said Real Madrid moving three points clear at the top of La Liga "changes nothing" in the 2019-20 title race with Barcelona. 

The Blaugrana lost 2-0 to Valencia on Saturday, and Real took full advantage by beating Real Valladolid 1-0 on Sunday to move to the head of the table for the first time in three months:

Round/Top2
9: Barca, Madrid
10: Barca, Madrid
11: Barca, Madrid
12: Barca, Madrid
13: Barca, Madrid
14: Barca, Madrid
15: Barca, Madrid
16: Barca, Madrid
17: Barca, Madrid
18: Barca, Madrid
19: Barca, Madrid
20: Barca, Madrid
21: Madrid, Barca

— Tom Allnutt (@TomAllnutt_) January 26, 2020

Nacho was the unlikely goalscorer for Los Blancos at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla. He headed home Toni Kroos' cross in the 78th minute to wrap up all three points.

In the wake of the victory, Zidane said there is still a long way to go in the 2019-20 season, per Stephen Creek of Goal:

"For us, nothing changes. We are happy with the victory, the work done having fought until the end, but nothing changes. There are 17 games left and we will continue fighting until the end.

"I don't want to talk about being champions because there is still a lot left to play. It changes nothing to be leaders, they are three important points but nothing more. There are a lot of league games left and it will be difficult for all teams, including us."

Real have lost just once in 21 league games this season: October's 1-0 reverse to Mallorca.

Sunday's win over Valladolid was their third victory in succession, and Zidane's side are looking ominously effective at the moment.

They are not firing on all cylinders, but defensively they look robust, with Thibaut Courtois having kept clean sheets in four of Real's last five league games:

Courtois now just one goal conceded in his last five LaLiga games - Luuk de Jong for Sevilla at Bernabeu, which was debatable VAR call.

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) January 26, 2020

Barcelona, meanwhile, were ineffective in their 2-0 defeat to Los Che. New manager Quique Setien is clearly having an impact on the Blaugrana, but his methods are yet to take a positive hold:

Barcelona have averaged 862 passes but just 1 goal per game so far under Quique Setién.

Not an ideal start. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/fFw8ND453D

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) January 25, 2020

Barca's decision to make a midseason change of manager and jettison Ernesto Valverde could have a huge bearing on the title race if the Catalans do not find their form quickly under Setien.

Valverde led the Camp Nou giants to successive league title victories in 2017-18 and 2018-19, but Real are now in the box seat in 2019-20.

Real's next league match is against Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

A derby is always a dangerous game, but Atleti are in poor form at the moment.

In their last two La Liga games they have lost to Eibar and drawn 0-0 at home with bottom-of-the-table Leganes. 

Meanwhile, last week Diego Simeone's side were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by third-tier Cultural Leonesa. 

Real Madrid opened up a three-point lead at the top of La Liga after they won 1-0 at Real Valladolid on Sunday.

Barcelona were beaten 2-0 by Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium, while Atletico Madrid slipped down to fifth after a 0-0 draw at home to Leganes.

Sevilla, meanwhile, moved up to third with their 2-0 victory over Granada.

Here are the results from Week 21 in La Liga, and the updated standings:

Matchday 21. ✅

Which result surprised you the most? 🤔👇#LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/YdoJ38OPBs

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) January 26, 2020

📄 @realmadriden occupy the top position in #LaLigaSantander while @SevillaFC_ENG secure the 3rd position! 💜❤️ pic.twitter.com/py2Xp5CcgR

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) January 26, 2020

Here's the team of the week.

                   

GK: Alex Remiro, Real Sociedad 

A glance at the 3-0 result suggests La Real had things all their own way as they beat Mallorca on Sunday.

Goalkeeper Remiro was vital for the hosts at the Anoeta Stadium, though, making two key saves to keep the game goalless in the first half before a second-half flurry earned them all three points. 

                                              

DEF: Roberto Rosales, Leganes

Leganes started the weekend bottom of the table and would not have expected to get anything from their visit to the Wanda Metropolitano.

A fine defensive display saw them earn a point, though, and Rosales was heavily involved, winning four aerial duels, completing two tackles, and making four interceptions, three clearances and one block in the 90 minutes.

                                  

DEF: Nacho, Real Madrid 

Making only his fifth La Liga appearance of the season, Nacho's excellent 78th-minute header ensured Real took full advantage of Barcelona's defeat against Los Che:

FT 0-1. Real Madrid march on, 19 games now unbeaten and go above Barca to the top of La Liga for the 1st time since October.

— Tom Allnutt (@TomAllnutt_) January 26, 2020

As well as making the key intervention at one end, the Spaniard was also crucial to Real keeping a clean sheet as he made four tackles. No other player on the pitch made more.  

                       

DEF: Sergio Reguilon, Sevilla 

Like Nacho, Reguilon contributed at both ends for his side as Sevilla won 2-0 at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

He made three tackles, an interception and two clearances in his defensive role, and he also set up Nolito for Sevilla's second goal after a fine run down the left flank. 

                                       

DEF: Ferland Mendy, Real Madrid

Mendy matched Nacho's game-high four tackles in Real's victory over Valladolid, and he also completed five dribbles, registered an interception and made two clearances.

His most eye-catching contribution to Real's victory was blocking Sergi Guardiola's late shot from 12 yards to keep the score at 1-0.

                                   

MID: Geoffrey Kondogbia, Valencia 

Any victory over Barcelona is satisfying, and Valencia were fully deserving of their 2-0 win on Saturday.

Kondogbia was the key man in the middle of the park for the hosts. The 26-year-old was a consistent thorn in Barcelona's side as he stopped attack after attack with his superb reading of the game:

Geoffrey Kondogbia made 5 interceptions vs. Barcelona, more than any other player on the pitch.

Dominant in the middle of the park. 🇨🇫 pic.twitter.com/acTPxLcxu9

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) January 25, 2020

                                        

MID: Portu, Real Sociedad 

Portu was involved in just about everything good La Real did against Mallorca. He pulled the ball back to the edge of the six-yard box for Alexander Isak's 46th-minute opener and also laid off to Ander Barrenetxea for the second.

The Spaniard then got a goal of his own when he turned home from close range after Martin Odegaard's shot was blocked:

This is the @portu show at the Anoeta! 💙💥#RealSociedadRCDMallorca pic.twitter.com/nqNLb4fhvV

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) January 26, 2020

                                      

MID: Toni Kroos, Real Madrid 

Kroos was typically superb in Real's Sunday victory, providing inch-perfect deliveries for both Casemiro's early disallowed goal and Nacho's winner.

He had more touches (105) than anyone else on the pitch, and he attempted more passes (90), with almost 98 per cent finding their mark. 

                                     

FWD: Carlos Bacca, Villarreal 

Bacca made the most of little service in Villarreal's 2-1 win over Alaves on Saturday.

He had only 19 touches in his 88 minutes on the pitch but won two aerial duels, made two clearances, completed one key pass and scored the opener with one of his two shots on goal. 

                                                               

FWD: Maxi Gomez, Valencia 

Gomez must have thought he had missed out on a golden opportunity when his first-half penalty against Barcelona was saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

But in the second half, his powerful shot was deflected into the back of the net by Jordi Alba, and he wrapped up the points 13 minutes from time with a lovely side-footed finish:

Maxi Gómez's game by numbers vs. Barcelona:

24 touches
14 duels contested
5 successful passes
4 shots
4 fouls won
3 shots on target
3 fouls conceded
1 missed penalty
1 deflected goal
1 goal

An eventful afternoon. 😅 pic.twitter.com/33pjNgql9a

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 25, 2020

                       

FWD: Luuk de Jong, Sevilla 

Granada could barely keep a handle on De Jong for most of Saturday's clash in Seville.

The Dutchman headed home the opener in the 11th minute—one of his four shots on goal—and he was dominant in the air throughout, winning nine aerial duels, at least four more than anyone else on the pitch. 

                           

Stats from WhoScored.com  

Real Madrid's focus returns to La Liga on Sunday when they visit Real Valladolid seeking to keep up the pressure at the top of the table.

Los Blancos go into this round of matches locked on points with Barcelona at the summit of La Liga. With their rivals away at Valencia on Saturday, this gameweek may give Madrid a chance to edge ahead.

Valladolid will be looking to spring a surprise in front of their supporters, although they have struggled to get over the line of late, as they haven't won in La Liga in their past eight matches.

Here are the key details for the encounter and a preview of what's to come at Estadio Jose Zorrilla.

             

Odds

Valladolid: 61-10

Draw: 39-10

Real Madrid win: 21-50

Odds courtesy of Caesars

         

Date: Sunday, January 26

Time: 8 p.m. (GMT), 3 p.m. (ET)

TV Info: La Liga TV (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)

Live Stream: Premier Player (UK) beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)

            

Preview

Barcelona face their toughest test under new manager Quique Setien on Saturday at the Mestalla, which may open the door for Madrid to seize control of the title race.

Manager Zinedine Zidane has overseen some encouraging progress from his side of late, as they have built momentum despite a number of injury issues. The La Liga Twitter account provided the numbers behind what is turning into an encouraging campaign for Madrid:

⚽️ 38 GOALS
🏹 268 SHOTS
🎩 1 ZIDANE

💜👀 An outlook on how @realmadriden are performing this season in #LaLigaSantander. 👀💜 pic.twitter.com/AfPN57q7vk

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) January 21, 2020

With Karim Benzema only just returning from a layoff and Eden Hazard still sidelined, Madrid have had to rely on other players in an attacking sense. Last time out in La Liga, it was Casemiro who shone, netting twice in a 2-1 win over Sevilla:

🇪🇸 LaLiga Player of the Week...

🥁🥁🥁

⚪ Real Madrid's @Casemiro 👏

The Brazilian midfielder had himself a DAY:

👉 85% Passing completion
👉 4 Shots
👉 2 Goals pic.twitter.com/QG41PUWIn3

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) January 23, 2020

Per OptaJose, it was the first time the Brazilian midfielder had scored twice in a game for Los Blancos:

1 - Casemiro has scored his first brace as Real Madrid player. Premier. pic.twitter.com/9YnyVw68Qx

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 18, 2020

At the back, the team have been able to shore up too, even without injured captain Sergio Ramos, and much of that is thanks to the improved form of Thibaut Courtois. The Belgium international struggled last year after his £35 million move from Chelsea; however, he's been a much more settled presence at the Santiago Bernabeu this term.

Bleacher Report's Gianni Verschueren is pleased to see the goalkeeper performing well:

https://twitter.com/ReverschPass/status/1218624386770534402

There appears to be a burgeoning team spirit too. Having toiled this season, summer acquisition Luka Jovic made a crucial assist against Sevilla, and Casemiro was keen for him to get some recognition:

Knowing he was low on confidence, Casemiro asked Real Madrid fans to show some love for Luka Jovic's back-heel assist ❤️ pic.twitter.com/6pRkIXqEPB

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 18, 2020

Following an impressive win away to Real Betis to start the campaign, manager Sergio has watched his team falter, with just three league wins picked up since. Going into Matchday 21, they are six points clear of the relegation zone.

                  

Prediction: Valladolid 0-2 Real Madrid

Eden Hazard is back in Real Madrid training following his recent injury layoff. 

The Belgium international, who moved to Los Blancos in the summer from Chelsea, has not been in action since November, having picked up an ankle injury against Paris Saint-Germain.

However, he appears to be edging closer to a return, with Madrid posting the following snap of the forward in action on Thursday:

👀👟⚽ @hazardeden10#RMCity | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/GivyxhiqND

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 23, 2020

Per AS, there is hope that Hazard will be available for Real's clash with city rivals Atletico Madrid on February 1.

In the report it's added that the 29-year-old was running on the training field from Monday, although Thursday was the first time he worked with the ball since his layoff.

Hazard picked up the problem after being on the receiving end of a tough tackle from his compatriot Thomas Meunier. What was initially diagnosed as a bruised ankle turned out to be more severe, with a hairline fracture in his foot discovered.

It means the Santiago Bernabeu crowd have yet to see the best of Hazard, whose first season at the club has been blighted by consistent injury problems. The winger has only started seven top-flight games this season and has scored just one competitive goal.

Manager Zinedine Zidane has had to contend with a number of injury issues this season, with Karim Benzema only recently returning to full fitness and Gareth Bale substituted with another knock on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey win over Unionistas de Salamanca.

Madrid have fared well without Hazard, as they sit level with Barcelona at the summit of La Liga. If their summer signing gets back to full fitness soon, he can be a huge asset as Los Blancos chase glory in the Spanish top flight and UEFA Champions League.

Real Madrid defender Nacho believes the club needs to be "alert" to "signs" from Kylian Mbappe that he wants to join them. 

The Paris Saint-Germain forward is already one of the best forwards in the game and has the potential to develop into one of the finest players of his generation given he is still only 21.

Mbappe was recently asked about speculation regarding a possible move to Madrid in the future. "Everyone talks about it—when I was young I talked about it too," he said. "But now I'm a player, and I know it's not the moment."

In response to those comments, Nacho said Madrid need to be ready to move if Mbappe is dropping hints about wanting to join the club.

"If he's sending us signs, we have to be alert to receiving them," he said following Los Blancos' 3-1 win over Unionistas de Salamanca on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey, per Miguel Angel Lara of Marca.

Here is more of what Mbappe had to say in the recent interview with BBC, in which he also had high praise for Premier League leaders Liverpool:

"At the end of the season, we will see."

Kylian Mbappe speaks about his future 👀

➡️ https://t.co/gM2jMyhKKM pic.twitter.com/NxrLlNCEr3

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 21, 2020

The PSG star also recently cited current Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane and Los Blancos legend Cristiano Ronaldo as his idols growing up:

Mbappe named Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and "Brazilians" as the people he idolized growing up 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Rri0aGXyUj

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 21, 2020

Mbappe moved to PSG in the summer of 2017, with the deal to sign him from Monaco the second most expensive in history; the world-record transfer fee was paid by PSG as well when buying Neymar from Barcelona.

Despite his tender years, Mbappe has not been hindered by that price tag. The forward has continued to develop his game, helping PSG dominate French football; Mbappe also starred at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, as France won the competition in Russia.

The striker has been able to maintain exceptional standards in front of goal:

Kylian Mbappé's career, season-by-season:

• 2016-2017: 26 goals in 44 games
• 2017-2018: 21 goals in 46 games
• 2018-2019: 39 goals in 43 games
• 2019-2020: 21 goals in 22 games

A goal every 105 minutes on average.

— SCOUTED (@scoutedftbl) January 15, 2020

Natalie Pirks of BBC Sport commented on the maturity Mbappe has for someone still so young:

He’s been taking English lessons and last night he showed me how they’ve paid off. Kylian Mbappe is a genuinely impressive young man with a social conscience - he’s launched a charity to help kids across Paris achieve their dreams 👏 https://t.co/qkSQOAQaqu

— Natalie Pirks (@Natpirks) January 21, 2020

Given Ligue 1 lacks the profile of the Premier League and La Liga, speculation about a possible switch to either division continues to swirl around Mbappe. 

There aren't many clubs in world football that would be able to table a bid big enough to convince PSG to sell. With Mbappe's age and ability considered, a club would likely have to smash the transfer world record to prise him away from the French capital.

Madrid are one of a small number of clubs that could potentially land that kind of deal. With Zidane in charge and their considerable prestige in mind, the Santiago Bernabeu would make for an attractive destination for Mbappe in the future.

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has confirmed that Gareth Bale suffered a fresh injury setback in the team's clash with Unionistas de Salamanca on Wednesday. 

After being left out of the squad for the La Liga match with Sevilla last weekend, the Wales international was included in the starting XI for the Copa del Rey contest, in which Los Blancos ran out 3-1 winners.

However, after twisting his ankle, Bale hobbled out of the match on 53 minutes. Afterwards Zidane provided an update on his condition.

"He's twisted his ankle a bit," said the Madrid coach, per Matt Dorman of Goal. "I don't think it's much but, as always, we'll see tomorrow. He couldn't go on."

Before the injury, the night looked like it might be a prosperous one for Bale, as he opened the scoring with a deflected shot. It had been a long time since the 30-year-old hit the back of the net for Madrid:

143 - Gareth Bale has scored his first goal for @realmadriden in all competitions since a brace against Villarreal in September 1st 2019, 143 days ago. Return. pic.twitter.com/FfIZ690owN

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 22, 2020

After Bale left the action, the home side were able to equalise through Alvaro Romero; an own goal from Juan Gongora and another from Brahim Diaz ensured Madrid progressed into the next round.

The outing was the first Madridistas have seen of Bale since the showdown with Getafe on January 4. In the 2019-20 season, he's only made nine La Liga starts for the club, with the forward once again struggling with fitness and illness issues.

Bale's absence from the squad against Sevilla prompted fresh transfer speculation about a January move for the player. In the summer, the former Tottenham Hotspur star came close to a move to Jiangsu Suning, before Madrid pulled out of a deal.

Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett has ruled out any midseason move, though, and has said he expects the Welshman to be at Madrid for a while yet:

Gareth Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett says the forward is "fine" and will see out his contract at Real Madrid, despite continued transfer speculation 👀

More 👉 https://t.co/XzUacy7z0v

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 22, 2020

With Eden Hazard injured and Karim Benzema only just returning from a layoff, Bale had an opportunity to nail down a spot in the XI with a strong performance. However, the latest in a long line of injury problems will do little to enhance his chances of game time before the end of the season.

Madrid are next in action on Sunday in La Liga, when they visit Real Valladolid. In light of the injury, it would be a surprise if Bale was involved in that contest.