Sunday’s 6-0 victory over Real Valladolid was a very pleasing result for Real Madrid for a number of reasons. Karim Benzema returned to form by scoring a seven minute hat-trick, while Rodrygo, Marco Asensio and Vinicius Jr were all in top form.
Another positive sign for Real Madrid was Eden Hazard making his first appearance for the club since January, having fallen out of favour under Carlo Ancelotti. The former Belgian international capped his return by assisting the sixth goal against Valladolid, which was scored by Lucas Vazquez.
It was Hazard’s first goal contribution in La Liga since September 2021, and with El Clasico just around the corner, there is a possibility that Ancelotti may not feel that he can call upon the 32-year-old.
If he does so, Hazard could finally break his El Clasico duck. Since joining from Chelsea in 2019, he has never faced Barcelona in a competitive fixture, as per Diario AS, with injuries and lack of selection being the reasons for this.
In total, there have been 10 competitive meetings between Real Madrid and Barcelona during Hazard’s time in the Spanish capital, and at the 11th time of asking, he will most to make an appearance in world football’s biggest fixture.
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