Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich on Tuesday, April 30 at the Allianz Arena in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, and they will be without another key starter.
It has become a common refrain for Real Madrid to miss at least one important player, yet instead of making excuses, the Merengues allow the next man to step up and keep getting the results they need.
In this Champions League encounter, Real Madrid will miss star right back Dani Carvajal, who picked up a suspension for obtaining a yellow card in each of the quarterfinal legs against Manchester City.
Carvajal has turned back the clock in the 2023/24 season, performing at a higher level than any other right back. Healthy for the first time in years, Carvajal has somehow upgraded his defensive game.
Although losing Carvajal hurts, Real Madrid have an unsung hero who already stepped up recently in an important game. That man is none other than Lucas Vazquez.
The 32-year-old started on the right side of the defense against arch rivals Barcelona in El Clasico last weekend, producing a masterclass living up to the “Cafucas” moniker.
Vazquez recorded four tackles in a gutsy defensive display, and the Real Madrid veteran, once again, ran his socks off for the team in a Clasico.
He played out of his mind on the attacking end, scoring a goal and an assist in the 3-2 victory. Vazquez also created a pair of chances in total, winning four fouls in an all-action display.
Real Madrid will need Lucas Vazquez to step up more than anyone on Tuesday night in Bavaria, because if he can play like he did against Barcelona, Bayern Munich may not stand a chance.
As amazing as Carvajal is, there actually isn’t much of a drop-off between him and Vazquez when the Galician wide man is in the kind of form he showed against Barcelona last weekend.
A couple of years ago, Vazquez had a menacing display in a league-deciding Clasico, too, so this isn’t a one-off from him. And he was clutch in the last penalty shootout against Manchester City, too, just as he was many moons ago against Atletico Madrid in a literal final.
Captain clutch, Vazquez bleeds Real Madrid White and is someone you wouldn’t bet against being bigger than the moment. He’s ready to step up for Carvajal, just like he’s done over the years since Zinedine Zidane regularly started trying him out at right back.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.