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Hola Madridistas!
The Open Thread/Daily Merengue is a place where you can discuss anything and everything related to football. Feel free to discuss the topics presented here, or start your very own discussions! The Open thread will be posted every day by one of the mods: Valyrian Steel, Felipejack, YoSnail or Oscnar.
Yesterday’s training.
Los Blancos yesterday started preparations for the first Copa Del Rey game of the season. Ramos and Varane trained inside the facilities and both will most likely miss the game having picked up minor knocks against Osasuna. Zidane will have to find a way to lift up his team after a difficult period and it all starts with the closed doors session that the coach ordered.
Jovic’s debut, Bilbao’s SuperCopa win and other results from Europe.
As covered in the article by Lucas Navarrete, Jovic came off the bench in his debut game for Frankfurt and scored twice. This will certainly raise more questions as to Zidane’s handling of the player.
Lionel Messi was sent off for violent conduct as Athletic Bilbao shocked Barcelona to win the Supercopa 3-2 in extra time. This was the Argentine’s first red card of his Barca career and could cause him to miss multiple games after receiving a straight red for striking Asier Villalibre in the final minute of the game. Greizmann bagged a brace for the Catalans while Oscar de Marcos and Asier Villalibre, who scored in the final minutes of regular time, were on the score sheet for the Basque side. Inaki Williams then sealed the trophy with a stunning effort three minutes into extra time.
In the Serie A, Inter beat Juventus (2-0) for the first time since 2016 with Vidal and Barella both finding the back of the net. The disappointing evening for Pirlo’s side sees them stay in fifth seven points behind league leaders AC Milan.
In the premier league, Liverpool and Manchester United played out a dull 0-0 draw, which sees Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team remain at the top of the table. Both teams having dropped points now opens the door to Manchester City, who trashed Crystal Palace 4-0. Pep Guardiola’s team are now in second, two points behind United with a game in hand. Leicester meanwhile have quietly climbed to third ahead of Liverpool, with a 2-0 victory over Southampton. Jose Mourinho’s spurs also secured victory this weekend with a 3-1 win over Sheffield United.
Is Odriozola leaving?
According to AS, Zidane is not considering giving minutes to Odriozola, so the player is thinking about leaving the club. He is the 4th option for the right-back position, behind Carvajal, Vazquez, and Nacho. The right back has received interest to join Serie A side Fiorentina this winter, according to a report from Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
What starting eleven would you like to see against Alcoyano?
Lets put on our coaching hats once again and come up with a lineup for our first Copa Del Rey game. Get wild and creative in the comment section. You know Zidane is reading!!