Real Madrid veteran looking for ‘redemption’ heading into Atletico encounter | OneFootball

A little over a year ago, Real Madrid suffered their last defeat in La Liga – a 3-1 hammering at the hands of neighbours Atletico Madrid away at the Civitas Metropolitano.

It was a forgettable outing for the entire squad and the coaching staff, but one player in particular came back with a significant blow to his morale – Luka Modric.

As such, the 39-year-old Croatian is now eyeing to redeem himself and exact a measure of revenge when he steps out at the Metropolitano tonight, reports AS.

What happened?

Heading into the game that night, Modric had lost his starting role at Real Madrid, thanks to the arrival of Jude Bellingham.

However, the injury-enforced absence of Vinicius Jr. meant that the veteran midfielder was handed a start, as Carlo Ancelotti opted to go with five midfielders on the night.

It was a disaster as within 15 minutes, Atletico Madrid led 2-0, creating chances for more. Toni Kroos slightly repaired the damage with a goal, but the team was overwhelmed in tactics, intensity, and overall play.

Modric had a game to forget vs Atletico last year. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

Los Blancos went into halftime in a sea of doubt, and Ancelotti decided to haul Modric off the pitch, replacing him with Joselu.

While the manager did not necessarily single out the Croatian after the game, the dynamics shifted. Modric barely featured in the next eight games or so and debates about whether he could continue at the highest level started to emerge.

Questions were raised about the veteran’s own morale following the sudden and drastic change in his role. But Modric came through all that and proved his worth, playing a key role as the season progressed, to help win more titles.

A night for redemption

With Kylian Mbappe unavailable, Ancelotti is set to revert to a 4-4-2 diamond formation tonight and Modric is the favourite to start ahead of Eduardo Camavinga given that the Frenchman is only returning from an injury layoff.

The 39-year-old will don the captain’s armband tonight at the Metropolitano and is eager to redeem himself, not against anyone but himself.