As La Liga enters the last stretch before the tournament, Real Madrid attacker Marco Asensio is among a select group of contenders who have a chance to stake a claim for a berth in Spain’s World Cup team.
Marco Asensio makes his case for a World Cup place in Qatar
Asensio was reportedly Real Madrid’s finest player in their 5-1 victory over Celtic at home on Wednesday, which helped the holders finish first in Group F of the Champions League, according to manager Carlo Ancelotti. The 26-year-old Asensio will likely have more opportunities to shine since Real Madrid’s next two matches before the World Cup are against Rayo Vallecano on Monday and Cadiz on Thursday. Karim Benzema, the team’s star striker, is currently out with a strained leg muscle.
The gifted Spanish player, who flourished under Zinedine Zidane’s guidance in the 2016–17 campaign and scored in the 4–1 victory against Juventus in the Champions League final, had steadily lost favour at the club over the previous few years.
Asensio was displaced by the rise of the Brazilians Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo as well as the Argentine Federico Valverde, and media sources said Real had sought to arrange a move as he approached the final year of his contract and would not re-sign him. Asensio is now asserting his potential for a new deal and a position on Luis Enrique’s 26-man team that will defend Spain in Qatar this month.
The return of Asensio might be excellent news for Luis Enrique as Ansu Fati, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Gerard Moreno are all attempting to prepare for the World Cup following serious injuries. Ancelotti said at a news conference on Wednesday, “Asensio decided he wanted to be optimistic.” He was positive even though he wasn’t playing much. When you’re unhappy, you always have the option of choosing a positive or negative attitude. I never questioned him.
Barcelona, who are one point behind Real in the rankings and are in second place with 31 points, will host Almeria on Saturday and play at Osasuna on Tuesday in the hopes that the leaders would falter like they did last weekend when they drew 1-1 with Girona at home.
Third-placed With 23 points each, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis are already behind the front-runners in the battle for the championship. Three points separate Atletico from Osasuna in seventh place, while Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao are also in the mix, so the battle for European berths, nevertheless, promises to be fierce.