This article is part of Football FanCast's The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Real Madrid have some big games ahead of them in the coming weeks.

Just after the international break, they will travel to Mallorca but they'll also be keeping one eye on the fast-approaching El Clasico at the end of the month. For that reason, Zinedine Zidane has to make sure Casemiro doesn't get a suspension for their trip to the Camp Nou.

On the chalkboard

Los Blancos have been wrestling with key absences ever since 2019 pre-season.

In total, Real have had to deal with a total of 13 different injuries, which have undoubtedly affected their performances.

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Luckily, one of the players that managed to stay safe and fit has been their Brazilian midfielder, Casemiro.

But now, with four yellow cards to his name and with the nature of his role, the 27-year-old is in real danger of getting that fifth card and earning a suspension that would see him miss El Clasico at the end of the month.

Zidane simply can't allow that to happen.

Risk worth taking

With the recent injury to Toni Kroos, Zidane has already lost one key player in the middle of the pitch and we still don't know whether the German will return in time to face Barcelona.

For that reason, risking Casemiro in the game against Mallorca would be unwise.

This is amplified when we take a quick glance at just how crucial the Brazilian has been for the Galacticos so far.

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With 870 minutes to his name, he is their most-used player of the 2019/20 campaign. He has played in eight La Liga games and already tallied one goal and one assist, while accompanying that with one shot and one dribble per game along with 85.8% passing accuracy.

But his incredible defensive work is what he's all about - so far, he has averaged 2.8 tackles, 2.6 interceptions and two clearances per game, absolutely dominating the opposition.

And seeing how he is often duelling his counterparts in the middle of the pitch, the risk of getting booked is definitely higher as well.

Can Real Madrid really afford to lose such a big presence for El Clasico even though it means risking the result against Mallorca?

Zidane has plenty of options, too, if he decides to rest Casemiro.
He could utilise Luka Modric in a deeper role, opening the door to James Rodriguez’s inclusion as a playmaker, while Isco has returned from injury and Federico Valverde has played in the last four league games.

Besides, with 870 minutes played already, Casemiro could definitely do with a rest.