Real Madrid News
Official: Bayern Munich attacking midfielder ruled out of second leg vs Real Madrid
Real Madrid face Bayern Munich in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal next week and must overcome a 2-1 deficit if they are to progress in the competition.
What’s worse is that they will be without Aurelien Tchouameni on the night after the Frenchman earned a suspension with a booking in the first leg.
Bayern Munich, at this point, are favourites to advance, but Real Madrid can never be written off if history is anything to go by.
Now, a massive update from the Bayern Munich camp hands Los Blancos more reason to be optimistic.
An injury blow
As confirmed by Bayern Munich on their website, star attacking midfielder Lennart Karl has suffered a tear in his hamstring and is injured.
He is out for the foreseeable future and will miss the team’s games for a few weeks at least.
“Lennart Karl has suffered a muscle fibre tear in the back of his right thigh. The diagnosis was confirmed by the FC Bayern medical unit.
“It means the 18-year-old attacking midfielder will be sidelined for the foreseeable future,” read a statement from the Bavarian club.
Needless to say, that confirms his absence from the game against Real Madrid, which is just days away.
This comes as a big blow to Bayern Munich’s plans, although it will not be as big a factor as it appears at first glance. After all, Karl did not play any part in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
So far this season, the youngster has made 24 appearances for Bayern Munich in the league alone and seven appearances in the UEFA Champions League.
While he did rack up a goal and an assist in the team’s late comeback win over Freiburg last week, he did not play any part against Real Madrid and will now miss the second leg as well.
Instead, the trio of Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic, and Serge Gnabry are expected to start in midfield once more.
Real Madrid News
Former Real Madrid manager defends Vinicius following red card vs Villarreal: ‘I don’t see intentionality’
Real Madrid resumed their campaign with a narrow win over Villarreal and three points, but it was yet another controversial affair due to refereeing decisions.
Vinicius Jr thought he had doubled Madrid’s lead against Villarreal, only for the goal to be chalked off and the Brazilian to be sent off in the same breath.
A VAR review showed Vinicius had tugged the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba in the build-up, prompting referee Isidro Diaz de Mera to void the goal and brandish a straight red.
The decision has split opinion, and one Madrid great has come out firmly in the forward’s corner.
Jorge Valdano on Vinicius’ red
Former real Madrid player and manager Jorge Valdano, speaking to Movistar, saw little malice in the incident.
“It’s an absolutely instinctive gesture. He feels they’re closing him in, he wants to get rid of it, and he does it in the most illegal way he can find,” he said (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
Drawing a distinction with more serious offences, he added: “It would make the difference between what is a spit, for example, and what this is.”
The former World Cup winner was unequivocal in his assessment of the act itself. “I don’t see any intentionality, the dirtyness of the action,” he concluded.
Ominous time for Vinicius
Valdano’s sympathy will do little to console Vinicius Jr., who might be staring at a lengthy suspension after the red card incident.
The Brazilian is already at risk of missing the Clasico on October 25, with the final disciplinary ruling still to come.
The referee’s report logs two separate matters. The first is the hair pull itself; the second is his reaction, described as continued loud protests and an aggressive approach to the official that forced Federico Valverde, Antonio Rudiger and others to restrain him.
Depending on how that conduct is classified, the suspension could stretch to two, three or four games. The one reprieve is that the red card is domestic, leaving Vinicius free for Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Roma.
