Three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Sevilla | La Liga GW18 | OneFootball

After five straight games on the road, Real Madrid return to the Santiago Bernabeu tomorrow night to take part in their final game of the year.

Facing them will be Sevilla who have had a mixed season so far. Los Nervionenses have six wins in their 17 games so far but seven defeats have seen them land on just 22 points and thus in 11th place.

Garcia Pimienta’s men have won three of their last five games and are coming off a big win over Celta Vigo in their last outing.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, enter the game with momentum on their side after being crowned the champions of the Intercontinental Cup.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Sevilla.

A big chance to shoot up

As La Liga approaches the midway stage, the standings begin to take serious precedence in terms of the title race.

Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are unsurprisingly at the top of the table and the top contenders to take home the title. The gap between the three parties, however, is very minimal.

The ongoing matchday, in that sense, promises to have a lot riding on it and can present serious implications on the title race and provides Real Madrid with a special chance to shoot up the leaderboard.

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid take on each other tonight at Montjuic and it is guaranteed that one of the two competitors, if not both, will drop points for certain.

Irrespective of the result that unfolds in Catalonia, Real Madrid thus have the chance to shoot up the standings and close the gap with one of, if not both direct competitors.

A win for Carlo Ancelotti’s side tomorrow, thus, will be massive for Los Blancos from the title race standpoint as it will take them to 40 points after 18 games.

The talisman unavailable

Unavailable vs Sevilla. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Vinicius Jr. has been invaluable for Real Madrid since his return from injury and it is no surprise that the team’s attack revolved around the recently crowned Best Men’s Player by FIFA.

The Brazilian star has three assists and two goals to his name in Real Madrid’s last four games across all competitions and has been, by far, the most decisive player in front of goal.

In what is a huge blow to Carlo Ancelotti’s side, however, Vinicius will be unavailable for Real Madrid’s game tomorrow afternoon against Sevilla as a result of his suspension.

The winger was shown his fifth yellow card of the season in La Liga during the team’s draw against Rayo Vallecano last weekend and will thus serve his ban tomorrow, once again creating a shift in dynamics in the final third.

With the protagonist unavailable, the onus of carrying Real Madrid’s attack tomorrow will fall on Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo Goes and Jude Bellingham with the spotlight particularly shining bright on the Frenchman.

Will Real Madrid succumb in Vinicius’ absence or find a new hero to grace the stage against Sevilla? The result will largely depend on how that question pans out.

The end of a memorable year

2024 has been a special year for Real Madrid on multiple fronts and as the club approaches the end of a historic year, it is time to reflect on the several accomplishments they celebrated over the past 365 days.

For starters, it was the year in which Los Blancos were crowned the champions of La Liga and Europe once more. Their exploits earned them a right to fight for the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, both of which they went on to win.

Come the summer, Real Madrid finally succeeded in pulling off the transfer of Kylian Mbappe from PSG. Given the resistance they faced in recent years, getting the deal over the line was massive for the club.

Tomorrow’s game against Sevilla is Real Madrid’s final game of 2024 and they thus bid adieu to a year that has brought endless joy to the administration, management and fans.

Indeed, the year also brought its fair share of struggled with season-ending injuries to Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal and others. However, the team’s fortunes in recent weeks has improved and there is reason to be optimistic heading into 2025.

It will only be fitting for Los Blancos to end the year on a high and a win over Sevilla would be the perfect way to sign off.