Lukaku vs Hazard: A Belgian duel in Champions League tonight

Published on: 25 November 2020

Real Madrid face another difficult contest against Inter in the Champions League, and they will be desperate to come away with something from the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

The impact of losing to the Nerazzurri on Wednesday night, should it happen, is that the Spanish champions would have to win both of their remaining group games in the group, which are against Borussia Monchengladbach and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Antonio Conte's Inter were impressive in the first fixture at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, and this time around they will be boosted by the return of Romelu Lukaku, who missed that game with an adductor injury.

Lukaku will be up against fellow Belgian teammate Eden Hazard, who has faced a constant battle with injuries since his move from Chelsea in the summer of 2019.

To win the game, Zinedine Zidane must come up with a plan to stop one of Europe's most revered strikers in Lukaku.

After years of ups and downs in the Premier League, the 27-year-old has finally reached the splendour that was expected of him when he first arrived on the scene at Anderlecht some 11 years ago.

Last season Lukaku scored a remarkable 34 goals in 51 games, and he now has his best goals-per-game average of his career.

Lukaku has scored nine in nine so far this season - seven in Serie A, and two in the Champions League against Monchengladbach.

Without captain Sergio Ramos it will be even harder to stop Lukaku, with the former Manchester United man possessing all the necessary attributes to be a great striker.

Raphael Varane and Nacho Fernandez are likely to be left with the task of keeping the Belgian at bay, and both performed well in last weekend's 1-1 draw at Villarreal.

Another option would be to play Casemiro in the centre of defence, but Zidane has been reluctant to use this option in the past unless it is absolutely necessary.

If the great threat is Lukaku, then the great hope comes in the form of another Belgian: Eden Hazard.

It is unclear whether Benzema will start the game in Italy, and therefore all eyes point to Hazard, who is carrying a great weight on his shoulders.

Hazard played well at the Estadio de la Ceramica in his return after contracting COVID-19, and Zidane is expected to stick with the same team that started that match against Villarreal.

Source: m.allfootballapp.com

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Learn more