Real Madrid’s demanding September could define the season

Real Madrid have only played two games in this 2019-2020 season but will be facing a very tough month of September which could very well define the rest of the campaign for Zinedine Zidane’s men.

While it’s true that this core of players has had more issues against manageable teams at the Bernabeu, the three away matches against quality teams like Villarreal and Sevilla and the visit to the Wanda Metropolitano to play the Madrid Derby are surely marked in Zidane’s calendar.

Both Atletico de Madrid and Sevilla have improved their squads and seem ready to complete a very good season, and in the case of Simeone’s men even compete with Madrid and Barça for the title. Sevilla have built a very intriguing squad and their coach Julen Lopetegui will surely get his players fired up for the match against Madrid as he will want to prove a point just 12 months after being sacked by Los Blancos.

Real Madrid will also need to be very careful when they host Levante on September 14th, right after the upcoming FIFA break and with the kick-off set at 13:00 CEST. That’s the perfect definition of a trap game and Levante already managed to beat Madrid at the Bernabeu last season, so Zidane will have to make sure that his men are completely ready to play and take care of business.

Luckily enough for the French coach, Eden Hazard will be back very soon. If he isn’t ready to face Villarreal next Sunday as some reports suggested last week, he will not travel to play with the Belgian national team and will be ready to go against Levante.

Barcelona’s loss in San Mames against Athletic in the opening game of the 2019-2020 season has given Real Madrid some margin of error. Finding themselves behind Barcelona after this tough month of September wouldn’t be dramatic with so many games to go until the end of the season, but it could affect the team’s confidence and morale knowing that they gave up on La Liga too soon during the past two years.

On the other hand, a winning month with quality performances and results at Sevilla and the Wanda Metropolitano would make a huge statement and prove that things have changed, getting the roster engaged and ready for October’s El Clasico at the Camp Nou.