Daunting April could make or break Real Madridâs season – FOXSports.com

It’s not all bad news, though. First: They have a two-point cushion and a game in hand on second-place Barcelona. (That game in hand is contributing to their fixture congestion, though, so it’s not without its warts). Also, Varane’s injury aside, Los Blancos have a full stable of healthy players. A “weakened” side featured against Leganes on Wednesday and Alvaro Morata picked up a hat trick in the contest. Mega-talented James Rodriguez is still eager to prove he should be a daily fixture for Zidane and Lucas Vazquez got valuable playing time with Gareth Bale on the shelf earlier in the season.

Then there’s Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese is still their most important player and he’s been on a tear since the New Year, with nine goals in 12 La Liga matches. He’s also changed up his approach to where he doesn’t need to be the focus of the attack day after day. He’s become almost, gasp, deferential for the betterment of the team. Lastly, Real Madrid will get the benefit of having their most important domestic matches – against Atletico and Barcelona – played at the Santiago Bernabeu.