Real Madrid News
Real Madrid attacker could be fit to face Barcelona in Clasico semi-final – report
Real Madrid will lock horns with arch-rivals Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Thursday at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ahead of the game, manager Carlo Ancelotti is sweating over the fitness of several players. Ferland Mendy is still recovering from his injury and is very much likely to miss out against Barça.
David Alaba, who picked up an injury during the game against Liverpool last week, is also set to be absent, as he is expected to be out for a month.
However, in somewhat of a boost, Rodrygo Goes could recover in time to play the semi-final first leg against the Catalan giants on Thursday night.
This claim comes from Edu Aguirre, who reports that there are good chances that the Brazilian could be ready for the Copa del Rey semi-final Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rodrygo, like Alaba, picked up an injury during the UEFA Champions League encounter versus Liverpool last week. The 22-year-old hurt his gluteus muscle and was expected to be out of action for at least ten days, casting doubts over his involvement in the Barcelona clash.
However, in a positive update, Aguirre is claiming that Rodrygo could return to feature against the La Liga leaders in the cup semi-final.
It must be noted that the Brazilian was not part of the training session today, but with still a couple of days left before the game, there could be time for him to recover and make himself available for the important El Clasico.
Real Madrid are not the only time hit by injuries heading into the game as Barcelona will also be without three important players in the form of Pedri, Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski, with the latter getting injured last night against UD Almeria.
Marco Asensio is fighting for his future at Real Madrid. The 27-year-old winger is out of contract at the end of the season and there is no concrete decision made by the club over his renewal as of yet.
Some reports had suggested that the club had tabled an offer worth €4 million per year, which the Spaniard did not like as he sought a higher pay packet closer to around €6 million-a-year.
With his future a subject of intense speculation, Asensio had been linked with a move away to Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool.
Meanwhile, closer to home, there were strong links to Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona. Indeed, the Catalans have been touted as potential suitors for Asensio for quite some time now due to the fact that he is represented by Jorge Mendes.
The superagent has close ties with Barcelona president Joan Laporta and reports in Spain have suggested that the Real Madrid winger has, indeed, been offered to the current La Liga leaders.
Amidst these speculations, however, Asensio has seemingly made it clear as to where his heart lies as he awaits a decision on his future.
During last night’s El Clasico against Barcelona, the Real Madrid winger came on as a substitute and went on to score a goal, following which he celebrated at Camp Nou, pointing to the Real Madrid logo on his shirt, showing where his allegiances lie.
The goal, however, was disallowed by the VAR, and Los Blancos ended up losing the game 2-1 thanks to a stoppage-time winner by Franck Kessie.
Earlier today, Asensio took to Instagram and posted a picture of him celebrating with his finger pointing to the Real Madrid logo, reiterating his commitment to the club amidst the links to Barcelona.
As for his disallowed goal, it sparked an angry reaction from Carlo Ancelotti, who questioned the legitimacy of the decision made by the VAR during his post-match press conference.
