Real Madrid News
Liverpool could receive an injury boost before second-leg clash vs Real Madrid – report
Liverpool were put the sword by Real Madrid earlier this week as the Reds were beaten 5-2 at home by Carlo Ancelotti’s men in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 contest.
The hosts had taken the lead early in the game through Darwin Nunez and doubled their lead not long after thanks to Mohamed Salah. But what followed was a blitzkrieg as Real Madrid pulled two goals back through Vinicius Jr before half-time.
Eder Militao and Karim Benzema (2) then scored in the second half to all but ensure Los Blancos’ place in the next round.
Liverpool have had a disappointing campaign so far, with injuries making things only worse for them. On Tuesday night at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp was without important players such as Luis Diaz, Ibrahima Konate, and Thiago Alcantara.
But, according to The Telegraph, Liverpool could be handed a fitness boost as they might recover the services of Thiago in time for the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next month.
The Spanish international has had an injury-riddled season so far as he missed a chunk of matches early in the season with a hamstring problem.
Currently, Thiago is recovering from a hip injury that has resulted in the 31-year-old missing Liverpool’s last three matches across all competitions.
But there may be some chance that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich midfielder could recover in time to face Real Madrid in the Champions League at the Bernabeu in March.
It remains to be seen whether Thiago does become available for Liverpool against Real Madrid, who themselves are set to be without defender David Alaba for the tie after he hurt his hamstring in the first leg.
It hasn’t been a good week for Real Madrid, who look all set to relinquish their Spanish league title to arch-rivals Barcelona come the end of the season, following a narrow defeat to the Blaugrana at the weekend.
However, as Real Madrid enter the international break, there is some positive news for Carlo Ancelotti and his men.
As reported by Toni Juanmarti, Barcelona look set to miss out on their two star players in Ousmane Dembele and Pedri due to injury, ahead of the upcoming second-leg semifinal tie against Real Madrid, in Copa Del Rey.
Real Madrid are heading into this game with a 1-0 defeat in the first-leg, meaning they must beat Barça with a two-goal margin in order to book a place in the final. The absence of both Pedri and Dembele, to that end, could be a major boost for Ancelotti.
Pedri, who was expected to return to full fitness for the second leg, has suffered a relapse. It has set his return back to three or four weeks late, meaning the youngster will not return until the April 23 tie against Atletico Madrid.
The situation is not much different for Ousmane Dembele. The explosive attacker is recovering slower than expected and though he was tipped to return in the league game against Real Madrid this month, he remains a major doubt for this Copa Del Rey tie.
However, Barcelona did register a narrow victory over Los Blancos even without these two individuals, so the task is definitely cut out for Ancelotti and his men as they look to exact revenge against the Catalans in Copa Del Rey next month.
