Real Madrid News
Key Real Madrid duo sustain injuries during Chelsea encounter
Real Madrid booked their place in the semifinal of the UEFA Champions League, thanks to a 2-0 victory over Chelsea last night.
But not everything went smoothly for the reigning European champions, as David Alaba was once again substituted early on, raising fears of a potential relapse.
The Austrian international had initially picked up an injury against Liverpool, with a diagnosis revealing a distal lesion in the femoral biceps, a condition in which 60% of the players suffer from a relapse.
According to MARCA, Real Madrid fear the same may happen with Alaba, who has already missed a chunk of the campaign through injury. There is a strong possibility he may even miss out on the semifinal matches of the UCL.
Alaba will not be the only Real Madrid star to miss out on the semifinals, though, with Eder Militao facing a suspension from the first leg due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
Another casualty in Real Madrid’s second-leg affair against Chelsea was Karim Benzema. The forward’s foot was stomped on the night, leading to his early substitution. His condition, though, is not thought to be serious.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed all three casualties after the game, stating, “Militao will not play the first leg of the semifinal but hopefully Alaba can recover. He had a problem, his hamstring strained and we made the change at the end of the first half. Karim had a blow, a foot stomp, it started to bother him at the end and we have changed him.”
The potential absence of Alaba and Militao could have serious repercussions for Real Madrid as they look to book a place in the Champions League final for the second successive season.
Real Madrid are looking towards a heavy splurge in the coming summer transfer window. After all, they do not even have another option given the sheer number of player departures already finalized.
Los Blancos have lost the services of Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz, and Eden Hazard over the past week. While three of the four players predominantly featured on the bench, their presence in the squad gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side much-needed depth and a cushion of sorts.
The forward unit is, thus, the most prioritized department ahead of the transfer window. However, pieces are beginning to fall apart on other fronts and could potentially put the club in a difficult situation.
According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus are eyeing Lucas Vazquez and hope to sign him in the coming month. Contacts between the two parties have begun and the transfer fee discussed appears to be around the €6 million to €8 million ballpark given that he has just one year left on his contract.
The player, for his part, is willing to sign for the Italian giants given his relative lack of minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu. At 31 years of age, he understandably does not want to play a second-fiddle role.
Vasquez played part in 23 of Real Madrid’s 38 La Liga games last season, starting only on 12 occasions. Even in his few appearances, he averaged a mere 50 minutes per game.
The veteran completed the season with four goals and an assist to his name. Further, he averaged five defensive actions and a key pass in every game and feels hard done by his limited role.
Vazquez’s departure would place the club in a tricky situation as it would leave Real Madrid with only Dani Carvajal as a natural right-back option. Nacho Fernandez could, in theory, serve as the backup but a new signing for the position cannot be ruled out.
