Woodgate comes to Madrid defence

Problem position
The heart of the defence has been Madrid's achilles heel for some time, with Iván Campo, Aitor Karanka, Rubén González, Walter Samuel and Raúl Bravo all struggling under the weight of expectation. That burden could pass on to Woodgate's shoulders this evening as the 25-year-old prepares for his competitive bow – over a year after a €19.7m move from Newcastle United FC – against Athletic Club Bilbao, who beat Madrid home and away last season.

Pressure on
It is a lot to ask of a player who has spent the last 12 months trying to overcome a thigh muscle tear, but coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo's hand has been forced by injury to Francisco Pavón, while new signing Sergio Ramos is suspended and Iván Helguera is struggling with a groin strain. Judging by the reception he received as a late substitute in a friendly against the Major League Soccer all-stars last month, Woodgate's presence will be warmly welcomed from the stands.

'Great expectations'
Luxemburgo is equally supportive of his new centre-half. "I hope Woodgate has a great game," he said. "We have great expectations of him." Tightening the back line would take some pressure off the Brazilian, who has been criticised for persevering with the so-called 'magic square' or 4-2-2-2 formation. "Any system is relative," he argued. "It's not the most important issue. What is important is our ability to deprive our opponents of possession."

Dead-ball worry
Should they fail to do so, Woodgate will have to be at his best to cope with the aerial threat of Athletic strikers Ismael Urzaiz and Fernando Llorente. Madrid have displayed a vulnerability to dead-ball situations this term, highlighted in demoralising defeats by RC Celta de Vigo and Olympique Lyonnais which, added to Sunday's reverse at RCD Espanyol, make it three consecutive losses for the Merengues.

Controversial defeats
Controversy has surrounded two key goals, however. Celta's victory came virtue of a goal awarded despite the ball not appearing to have crossed the line, while some players claimed they heard a whistle just seconds before Daniel Jarque headed Espanyol's solitary strike.

Moving on
The sanguine Míchel Salgado is taking it all in his stride, though. "It's just one of those things," the right-back said. "I'm sure similar decisions might go our way in the future so it's best to forget about it and move on." What better time to turn over a new leaf, then, than tonight, when Woodgate is likely to be paraded belatedly before the Bernabéu.