Your Spanish football morning headlines for Thursday 31 December.
Marcelo curse strikes again
The curse of Marcelo struck Real Madrid once again on Wednesday – the club’s six-game winning streak ended as he returned to the starting line-up.
Los Blancos had won all six matches in a row without the Brazilian in the side but he replaced Ferland Mendy and the team subsequently were held by Elche, with the curse highlighted by Marca.
Since boss Zinedine Zidane has returned to Madrid – in early 2019 – he has managed 64 matches for Los Blancos in La Liga and has suffered 10 defeats. Real Madrid news shows that Marcelo has started in all of those defeats while Madrid are unbeaten in the 36 games Marcelo has not started.
Something’s up with Odegaard
Another player for whom there is an issue in the Spanish capital is Martin Odegaard, with Diario AS noting his ostracisation from recent proceedings.
The Norwegian has not played a minute of first-team football since December 1 and the report claims that is a huge indicator that Zinedine Zidane has lost trust in the midfielder.
No Barcelona money
Barcelona do not have the funds to compete in the January transfer market, so are unlikely to sign Memphis Depay – according to El Mundo Deportivo.
The report outlines how transfers would only be possible if they are combined with outgoings from the first-team squad, but this appears unlikely.