As Real Madrid gear themselves for the season’s first El Clasico, Xabi Alonso will hope most of their players find form in time, especially Alvaro Carreras.
The former Benfica star had started the season extremely well, even emerging as one of Real Madrid’s best-performing defenders. However, he has struggled with recent weeks and was particularly exposed in the defeat to Atletico Madrid.
So much so that Alonso had to send him a clear warning, especially when facing a big opponent.
Carreras vs Yamal: Who will prevail?
A recent report from AS has pointed out how Alvaro Carreras will be in focus this weekend, particularly when it comes to facing Lamine Yamal.
He endured a terrible outing at the Metropolitano and struggled again versus Getafe, although there were signs of improvement against Juventus. And now, this clash offers him a chance to turn things around.
SL Benfica, Real Madrid player and Lamine Yamal, Barcelona player
Carreras and Yamal have already faced each other twice. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
The left-back has shown in the past that he can handle Lamine’s threat, with the players having already crossed paths twice in the Champions League last season.
The first matchup was during Barcelona’s 5-4 defeat to Benfica at Estadio Da Luz, where Lamine failed to score or assist.
Their duel that night led to one of the game’s most talked-about moments – a soft penalty awarded to Barcelona after contact between the two, with Benfica coach even accusing Yamal of going down easily.
In their other meeting, Lamine was so effectively neutralized that Hansi Flick substituted him after 56 minutes with the score still 0-0.
These two performances set a strong precedent for Carreras as he looks to once again put a stop to the Barcelona winger’s endeavours, this time in a Real Madrid kit.