On February 24, Real Madrid won 0-1 against Atalanta in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League 2020/2021, thanks to a goal by Ferland Mendy in the 86th minute. Now, the meringues will look to take advantage of the first game and, as a local, they will hope to get a place in the next round of the Champions League.
However, despite having the score in favor of the white team, he knows that it will not be an easy match, because on Tuesday they will receive the team of Gian Piero Gasperini, whose reference in attack is Luis Fernando Muriel, a Colombian striker who is on a series of goals and hopes to be the hero of the round of 16.
Precisely, in the period of preparation for this second vibrant stage, the spotlight indicates two key players: Karim Benzema and Luis Fernando Muriel. Both the French and the Colombian are going through a great moment, for which their goals will be the weapon of each team to seek classification. Here are their numbers.
Luis Fernando Muriel
Although in the first leg Luis Fernando Muriel did not have many clear goal options, the present Atlantic athlete allows Atalanta to dream of a historic result in a crucial duel.
At 29 years old, the coffee striker is three goals away from equaling the best scoring season in Serie A (2019/2020: 19 goals in 41 PJ). Currently, Muriel has 16 goals and seven assists in this competition, in addition to two goals in the Champions League and one in the Italian Cup (19 goals and 9 assists in total).
With an average of one goal every 80 minutes (all competitions), the former Deportivo Cali meets an exceptional season in Europe, thus being the key man in the “La Diosa” offensive. However, Gasperini also has Duván Zapata, who accumulates 13 goals and 12 assists (all competitions) and is the ideal complement for Muriel on the way back.
2020-2021 season numbers
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A league: 25 games played, 16 goals and 7 assists. 967 minutes played.
Champions League: 6 games played, 2 goals. 268 minutes played.
Italian Cup: 4 games played, 1 goal and 2 assists. 281 minutes played.
Total: 35 games played, 19 goals and 9 assists. 1,516 minutes played.
Karim Benzema
With 20 goals so far this season, Karim Benzema, in addition to being the leader in the dressing room, is the star player in the development and operation of the team led by Zinedine Zidane.
The Frenchman was not in the first leg due to an injury, but after recovering satisfactorily, the striker, who is one of the team’s captains, returned with goals and in the last game of the whites for the Spanish League, he was responsible for giving victory his team with two touchdowns.
2020-2021 season numbers
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The League: 23 games played: 15 goals and 5 assists. 2,034 minutes played.
Champions League: 5 games played: 5 goals. 391 minutes played.
Super: 1 game played: 1 goal. 88 minutes played.
King’s Cup: 1 game played. 43 minutes.
Total: 30 games played, 20 goals and five assists. 2,556 games played.