Real Madrid News
Key Real Madrid duo could miss weekend La Liga clash against Girona – report
According to the latest update from Cadena SER, Real Madrid duo Karim Benzema and Federico Valverde remain a doubt for the match against Girona.
Real Madrid will be aiming to return to winning ways when they play Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu this Sunday. They have some injury issues heading into the game, however.
Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Mariano Diaz, Dani Ceballos, and Valverde all missed the last match against RB Leipzig with injuries.
And while reports earlier this week indicated that the key trio of Modric, Benzema and Valverde will be back for the clash versus Girona, the latter two could still miss Sunday’s La Liga match.
Benzema did part of the training session today with the entire squad. But his involvement for Sunday’s clash remains uncertain as things stand.
The French international has missed the last two matches against Sevilla and RB Leipzig due to ‘muscle fatigue’ and Real Madrid do not wish to take any risk with their ace goalscorer.
Meanwhile, as per the update from Arancha Rodriguez, Valverde trained individually on the pitch today before continuing his training inside the gym, indicating that he did not participate in any team training. The journalist suggests that the Uruguayan international is still a doubt for Sunday’s match.
Valverde sustained an injury during the game against Sevilla last weekend and was seen departing from the Bernabeu with a bandage. At the time, it was reported that the injury is not serious and that he was expected to be back for the Girona clash.
Now, though, his involvement against the Catalan club remains in doubt.
Valverde has been in tremendous form for Real Madrid this season. The 24-year-old has lit up the stage with his energy and intensity while also adding goals to his game this season. His potential absence for another game will be a blow for Los Blancos as they prepare to take on Girona.
Modric, Ceballos and Mariano were spotted training with the rest of the squad and could be a part of the squad for Sunday.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
Jon Gray
October 29, 2022 at 12:37 pm
Don’t know why anyone is mentioning Mariano as a possible player in the upcoming game. The guy is completely irrelevant to the team given his consistent poor form. It shows how dramatically a team like Real Madrid lacks depth of any kind. They need to recruit quite a few quality players in the January window of they are to stay on top of their gamein both La Liga and UEFA.