The away match against Galatasaray could be more important than El Clasico

Flashback to August 29, 2019 and it seemed as though Real Madrid were always going to advance to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League after being drawn in a Group A alongside Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Club Brugge and Galatasaray S.K..

On paper, the club was poised to finish in either first or second place in tight competition with PSG. Yet, the standings have drastically changed and the next game against Galatasaray could be more important than El Clasico and could have the entire season on the line.

The tournament woes from last year’s campaign still seem to linger and the club currently sits at the bottom of the group after two games. One, a thumping 3-0 loss away in Paris and the other a scary 2-2 draw to the Belgian club at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

So now, with the next game against Galatasaray coming up in just two weeks, everyone at the club including the players, Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez are under a microscope.

In Group A, the games against the French club were always going to be difficult and the ones against the Belgians, should have been a cake walk for Los Blancos but this is the tournament of surprises and things don’t always go as planned.

Real Madrid are now at a point where they are “moving into unchartered territory,” as my fellow writer Christian Paredes would put it, and this away fixture has become a must-win game for the team.

The Turkish club however is not one to be overlooked and as mentioned before in a preview of Group A, this particular match for Real Madrid will be a difficult one simply due to the atmosphere at the Türk Telekom Stadium.

Often decked out in orange and red, the supporters of the Turkish Süper Lig side are always ready to make games difficult for visiting opponents. Real will have to find a way to play the best they can without being affected by boos and jeers if they want to come out on top.

In their opening two matches, Galatasaray drew 0-0 with Club Brugge and then only lost 1-0 to PSG splitting possession exactly down the middle at 50 per cent. Add in the fact that they had eight shots and completed 489 passes with 77 per cent accuracy compared the the French club’s 16 and 502 at 78 per cent, it’s easy to see how this upcoming match will be difficult beyond just the atmosphere.

If Zidane and co. can find a way to take their performances from La Liga, which have been decent up till now, and move it into the European competition to grab all three points then the club will be in a much better situation approaching El Clasico.

In retrospect, if they draw or lose then the club could possibly fall into a downward spiral again and could thus slip up in the race for La Liga.

With the Champions League match only four days before the match against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, the mentality of the players will be more delicate than ever.

Here’s to hoping some of Zidane’s black magic makes a reappearance and everything goes in favour of Real because the rest of the 2019/20 season could depend on it.