FILE PHOTO: Soccer – Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior reacts during the LaLiga match against FC Barcelona – Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain – October 26, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo
Real Madrid roared back to life this week, led by a superb Vinicius Junior, who is looking to confirm his own resuscitation and that of his team at Villarreal on Saturday in La Liga.
Second-placed Madrid can move top of the table with a victory before leaders Barcelona host Real Oviedo on Sunday and crush the threat of another title contender at the same time as they head to Spain’s east coast.
Marcelino Garcia Toral’s Villarreal are third, seven points behind Madrid and eight off champions Barca, and a defeat would virtually write off any chance of a first ever title.
An emphatic 6-1 victory over Monaco on Tuesday in the Champions League helped brighten the gloom in the Spanish capital and earn new coach Alvaro Arbeloa a modicum of credit.
It was the first glimpse of what his team might look like, after the Copa del Rey last 16 defeat against Albacete in his first match at the helm was the performance of a club deep in the doldrums, two days after Xabi Alonso’s departure.
