On Sunday, Real Madrid will return to action from the international break against Real Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

While they do not want to fail against Valladolid, their focus will be firmly on El Clasico of next week. Los Blancos must travel to Barcelona and overturn a 1-0 deficit in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg to reach the final.

At Valdebebas, it appears that there is growing optimism that they will succeed. Real Madrid believe that if they attack Barcelona from the beginning, they have a good chance of winning despite losing their last three games against their arch rivals.

They believe they are in the best shape of the season, which is another important factor in their confidence. While the results might not support that, that is also possible in terms of fitness.

Goals are a necessity for Real Madrid to win, so Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior appear to be their key assets. The Frenchman has not been playing well lately, but after a two-week break, he might have found his sharpness. Their chances of success will drastically change if that is the case.