Inigo Martinez feels the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Sociedad’s game with Real Madrid on Saturday is good news for the Basques.
The Portuguese has received a two-match ban after being sent off against Cordoba last weekend and will also miss the fixture with Sevilla, which was put back as a result of Madrid's Club World Cup participation in December.
“Cristiano’s absence is certainly good news for us. We all know the player he is and it doesn’t take much for him to score against you,” said the 23-year-old central defender.
“However, it doesn’t mean the rest of their team can’t cause problems as they are all fantastic players with or without Ronaldo. They are a great team.”
Martinez feels it could be a good time to face Carlo Ancelotti’s men after they made hard work of beating Cordoba.
“Maybe it’s a good time to play them after they struggled at Cordoba but we’ll need to give our all and make sure we get off to a good start.
“It’s important not to concede in the first 15 minutes and that quarter of an hour can definitely affect the outcome of the game. Madrid play a lot but leave spaces behind, althoughwinning there is always difficult and I hope we can compete and fight to the end.”
Los Blancos could have Martinez’s close friend and former La Real midfielder Asier Illarramendi in their line-up, despite him being linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu.
“I hope he plays because his situation there is not so good and he is unsure what to do, but these things happen in football. I wish him all the best and hope he comes to the right decision.
“We’d all be delighted if he came back to Anoeta but at the end of the day it’s his decision, one that he’ll make together with his agent, but I’d love to have him back at La Real,” he admitted.
