Real Madrid must use the Club World Cup to gain momentum ahead of El Clasico

Real Madrid traveled to Abu Dhabi with the task of winning their second consecutive FIFA Club World Cup. Los Blancos will begin their race for that title with what should be a manageable game against Al Jazira this Wednesday, and while it would be tempting for Zidane to trust his reserves and give the starters some rest, the French coach must use these two games to gain confidence and momentum before heading back to Spain to face Barcelona in a match which could very well decide La Liga title.

Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be back on track after scoring a brace against Sevilla. Still, he needs to build even more confidence and so does Karim Benzema. It will be important for Madrid to find minutes for Gareth Bale if he’s finally available just so that he can at least make an impact off the bench against Barcelona.

It’s clear that Zidane should have the Club World Cup title in his mind. Still, Real Madrid should be able to win it no matter whether the French coach makes rotations or not, so Zidane might as well think about El Clasico.