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Karim Benzema of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring their team's second goal in the La Liga Santander game against Elche CF at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano in Madrid, Spain, March 13, 2021. /CFP
They've finally gone and done it. Instead of a high stakes UEFA Champions League game that inspires anticipation from fans and potential excitement from neutrals, the second Round of 16 leg between La Liga's Real Madrid and Serie A's Atalanta arrives with a sense of dread.
Their first game two weeks ago was truly one of the worst games of European football ever played. Atalanta, overmatched on a player-to-player basis, had Remo Freuler sent off less than 20 minutes into the game so turtled up to try and survive while Real Madrid did basically nothing to break through their defense for the remaining 70+ minutes. Only a wonderful free kick from Ferland Mendy in the 86th saved the game from being pointless literally as well as figuratively.
Now the two sides square up again with the only difference being that Real go into this game with an away goal advantage. That means they have license to be even more toothless than previously. The only hope for avoiding this lies at the feet of Karim Benzema; absent from the first encounter due to injury, the veteran striker returned to the Real Madrid starting XI on March 7 for a game against Atletico Madrid and scored in the 88th minute to force a draw and then this past weekend scored twice – once in the 73rd and again in the 90+1st – to scrape a win against Elche.
Robin Gosens #8 and Luis Muriel of Atalanta celebrate after scoring the second goal in the Serie A match game against Spezia Calcio at Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, March 12, 2021. /CFP
Under manager Zinedine Zidane, this Real Madrid side have been entirely reliant on individual skill to win matches and 33-year-old Benzema has both the talent to make an impact and the drive to do so to remain a starter – plus, he would surely like to prove this team can win trophies without Cristiano Ronaldo.
Atalanta should be coming into this to prove a point of their own too. Based on their domestic form since their loss to Real Madrid, it seems they rightfully consider it a blip, a loss that was mostly out of their control.
In the four games they have played since, it's been business as usual: Three wins with a combined score of 10-2 and, in a less welcome sign, a 1-0 loss to league leaders Inter Milan. Gian Piero Gasperini hasn't been shaken from his hard hitting, fast paced philosophy and will be able to face Real Madrid knowing it's able to win games handily, although perhaps not always against the top competition.
With the exception of the aforementioned Freuler, who is suspended due to that red card, Atalanta have their best team available to them so they will likely start in top speed and look for a quick goal to get back into it. It will all come down to if they can overpower Real Madrid and prevent service coming the other way to Benzema.
