Real Madrid News
Boost for Real Madrid ahead of derby vs Atletico as midfielder returns to training
After beating Liverpool earlier this week in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid are set for another stern test when they face Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday.
The Merengues are currently eight points off of leaders Barcelona and will have a golden opportunity to reduce that to five points with a victory against their local rivals at the Santiago Bernabeu.
And, ahead of the big game on Saturday, Real Madrid have been handed a major fitness boost as midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has returned to training today.
This claim comes from Melchor Ruiz of COPE, who has confirmed that the Frenchman has trained with the team today, along with veteran midfielder Toni Kroos.
Tchouameni was a late exclusion from Real Madrid’s La Liga clash against Osasuna last weekend due to a bout of flu. Following that the 2022 FIFA World Cup finalist did not recover in time for the Champions League clash against Liverpool either.
Having missed back-to-back matches due to illness, Tchouameni was seen back in training today which comes as a big boost for Real Madrid as they gear up to take on their neighbours in the Madrid derby.
While Tchouameni is back in training, the same cannot be said of left-back Ferland Mendy, who has been out injured for a while now.
Meanwhile, David Alaba and Rodrygo Goes, both of whom picked up knocks against Liverpool, also did not participate in training and are doubts for the derby against Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder trained away from the group last week, but has no injury – report
With the international break underway, several Real Madrid players have been called up for national team assignments. The stars who have not travelled for international duty have continued to work at the club’s Valdebebas training facility to prepare for the restart.
Toni Kroos is one such player who has remained in Madrid, having retired from international football back in 2021.
However, there had been concerns growing around the 33-year-old’s physical condition as he regularly did indoor work last week and was not spotted in group training with his teammates.
Now, Sergio Quirante has come up with an update on Kroos’ situation, stating that even though the midfielder largely did individual work inside the facilities over the last week, he is fine and has no injuries.
Taking advantage of the international break, the former Bayern Munich superstar is understood to have gone through an individual program to prepare for the final, decisive stretch of the 2022/23 season.
Kroos not being injured comes as a big positive for Real Madrid, ahead of important games against Real Valladolid and Barcelona within the first five days of April.
The rest of the Real Madrid midfield contingent – Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Dani Ceballos – are all away on international duties and could return with some fatigue from the travel.
So, it is important that Kroos is fully fit and ready to go as Real Madrid look to cut down the gap to the top of the table in La Liga and also make it to the finals of the Copa del Rey by overturning a first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the semi-finals.
Kroos has played 37 matches this season, chipping in with two goals and five assists in the process. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, it is still unclear whether he will renew or hang up his boots.
