Real Madrid News
Guardiola issues fitness update on key Manchester City duo as Real Madrid clash looms
In exactly one week, Real Madrid and Manchester City are set to face off against each other in the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League. The high-voltage fixture will be a repeat of last season’s semifinal, and it was the Merengues who stole a last-minute comeback on that night.
Both teams are faced with key injuries ahead of the clash. Los Blancos were said to be on the edge with the participation of Luka Modric and David Alaba while the Premier League champions had uncertainty over the availability of Kevin De Bruyne and Nathan Ake.
Pep Guardiola has issued an update about his two stars’ fitness ahead of Manchester City’s clash against West Ham United and bore partially good news regarding the situation.
“Nathan Ake trained with us yesterday he feels good. Kevin De Bruyne started to move but didn’t train with the team. We have training in a few hours, we will see how they feel,” he said.
Ake is thus likely to make it in time to face the defending European champions next Tuesday after recovering from the hamstring injury he suffered against Bayern Munich. The situation with De Bruyne, however, is far from clear.
The Belgian missed the team’s clash against Fulham last week after sustaining an injury late in the match against Arsenal. Guardiola has refused to comment on how long the player will be out and his participation at the Santiago Bernabeu could go either way.
Real Madrid have been clearly luckier on the injury front with massive developments being made. Not only did David Alaba return to group training but Ancelotti also confirmed that Modric was likely going to be available for both the Cup final and the UCL fixture.
As it stands, there is a good chance all four stars feature on the night and set up a clash of the highest level.
Source: Manchester City official Twitter
Real Madrid have a host of talent coming through their youth setup, with the likes of Sergio Arribas, Vinicius Tobias, and Nico Paz impressing the club through their performances with Real Madrid Castilla.
Paz, especially, has been touted as one of the biggest talents coming through the Madrid academy. He is considered ‘the’ talent from the youth setup, with a lot of expectations around him.
A midfielder by trade, Paz has seemingly impressed two of the biggest names in world football, according to MARCA.
One of them is Toni Kroos, who has watched Paz closely during training with the senior team. The German complimented him, as well, saying, “This boy should train with us every day because he is terrific.”
He has also seemingly created an impression on none other than Lionel Messi, while the two were training with Argentina together.
Carlo Ancelotti has also joined the praise parade for Paz, “He has projections to play in the first team. He is doing very well with Arbeloa and the times he was used by Raúl he has also done very well at Castilla.”
Paz has already been included in the squad list for two games so far this season, and will continue to train with Real Madrid’s senior squad. He is also expected to be a part of los blancos’ pre-season tour, after which he could get minutes next season.
Real Madrid have renewed the Argentine’s contract up until 2027, as they wanted to lock him down quickly for the long-term. There, is however, a chance he could leave Madrid on lock next season to get minutes with a senior division side.
