When Real Madrid visit Sevilla this weekend, all eyes will be on the starting lineup. Or the bench.

The reason? James Rodriguez could be making his long-awaited return to Los Blancos in a crucial game. After all, the team will be facing a club that defeated Barcelona this year. A loss to Sevilla would Madrid in a world of hurt, especially if Barcelona defeats Villarreal on the same match day.

So why all of this buzz over the Colombian? He was expected to make his return this past Tuesday and was seen warming up near the end of the second half.

However coach Rafa Benitez opted for bringing on Mateo Kovacic in what was a nervy finish for Los Blancos.

So it is more likely that in a game against a "lesser" side, Rodriguez is bound to get a chance to make an impact on the pitch.

The big question: Who is the sacrificial lamb? Up top, Cristiano Ronaldo has been joined with Isco and Jese Rodriguez for most of the last few weeks. Ronaldo is untouchable, though his play has been far from essential. Most theories purport that he simply is lacking the service and is tremendously isolated by the play of his other attacking mates. Jese is more of a north-south kind of player, running up the sidelines, taking on defenders and looking to shoot or cross. He works very much like Ronaldo in his prime did, but without the technical polish.

Isco's play is a bit more enigmatic. The Spaniard loves holding the ball, dribbling at opponents, slowing down and making lateral passes. He has a good shot, but it is no where near the level of James Rodriguez's.

Of those three, Isco might be the most expendable at the moment because he is a similar type of creative player as James Rodriguez but is arguably less suited for Madrid's forward moving attack. On the counter, Isco is not the man to count on; James Rodriguez certainly works well there.

Statistically, James Rodriguez is still leading the team in key passes per game with 3.5; granted it is a small sample size, but his numbers from last season (2.7 per game) would still put him miles ahead of the next best contender. Luka Modric has 2.2 key passes per game followed by Isco with just two. James Rodriguez is also third in shots per game (again small sample size warning), but his numbers from last season would be good for fifth on the team.

Finally, James Rodriguez is tied with Jese Rodriguez, Gareth Bale and Marcelo for third most goals on the team with two; with the exception of Bale who has played five games, the other two have at least six games to their names while James Rodriguez has just two.

Of course there are many factors to consider about the form the Colombian returns in when he plays this weekend. How is his fitness? Is he able to take hits in what could be a rough game? How will his timing be with the passing? How does he fit into this unorthodox attack? Will he mesh well with Ronaldo and spark the superstar to greater heights?

All of these questions could see initial answers on Saturday.