Real Madrid News
Real Madrid facing fixture nightmare in early 2023 after Club World Cup announcement
On Friday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that the FIFA Club World Cup 2022 will be played in Morocco between February 1 and 11 next year.
Following that announcement, Real Madrid are now facing a torrid run of fixture schedule as they could now be playing as many as 17 matches in the space of less than 60 days across four countries, reports MARCA.
Following the World Cup, Real Madrid will resume their campaign with a La Liga encounter against Real Valladolid on December 30. A few days later, they will begin their Copa del Rey journey before returning to La Liga action against Villarreal.
Soon after that, Los Blancos will travel to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup where they will take on Valencia in the semi-finals on January 11, and should they win, they will play the finals four days later.
Upon returning from the Super Cup assignment, Real Madrid will have a series of fixtures in the Copa del Rey, provided they have progressed, and La Liga until the first week of February when they will be expected to fly to Morocco for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Immediately after they return from the African nation, the Merengues will have a Copa del Rey semi-final on the horizon provided they have qualified as well as the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg tie against Liverpool away from home, which will be followed by a derby against Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid fixture calendar
- Valladolid vs Real Madrid – Dec 30
- Copa del Rey third round – Jan 4
- Villarreal vs Real Madrid – Jan 7
- Real Madrid vs Valencia (Spanish Super Cup semi-final) – Jan 11
- Spanish Super Cup final – Jan 15 (if they progress)
- Copa del Rey fourth round – Jan 18
- Athletic Club vs Real Madrid – Jan 22
- Copa del Rey quarter-finals – Jan 25
- Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad – Jan 29
- Real Madrid vs Valencia – Feb 2
- Mallorca vs Real Madrid – Feb 5
- FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals – Feb 8
- FIFA Club World Cup finals – Feb 11
- Copa del Rey semi-finals – Feb 15
- Osasuna vs Real Madrid – Feb 19
- Liverpool vs Real Madrid (Champions League) – Feb 21
- Real Madrid vs Atletico – Feb 26
In a span of less than two months, Real Madrid could end up playing as many as 17 matches across four countries – Spain, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and England.
Given that a number of players are returning from World Cup assignments, manager Carlo Ancelotti will need to make use of his entire squad in order to get through this packed schedule in the early parts of the new year.
Real Madrid opted to renew Antonio Rudiger’s contract this past summer to keep him at the club for one more season.
The 33-year-old veteran defender, though, has not been performing at his best, with physical problems taking their toll and age starting to catch up with him.
As such, the expectation is that Los Blancos will not extend his contract again when his current one expires on 30 June 2027.
Tottenham eye Antonio Rudiger
And, according to reports relayed by AS, Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a free-transfer swoop to sign Rudiger in the summer of next year.
The north London club are understood to be keen on reinforcing their backline next year and see the German defender as an option, given his experience in the Premier League and the fact that he would be available for free in the summer.
So far this season, Rudiger has played only five games for Real Madrid, amounting to a total of 396 minutes.
The 33-year-old has even chipped in with two goals, including the all-important winner in the 4-3 comeback victory over AS Roma on Wednesday night.
Time to move on?
Despite Rudiger being a hugely respected figure in the Real Madrid locker room, he is currently the third-choice centre-back for Jose Mourinho.
After all, summer signing Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen have been preferred by the manager so far in the new season.
Moreover, with Eder Militao set to return imminently after a lengthy injury layoff, Rudiger’s game-time could be impacted further.
Given the situation and factoring in Real Madrid’s plans to sign another centre-back next summer, it is pretty much evident that Rudiger does not feature in the club’s plans for beyond this season.
As such, a separation of ways seems pretty likely when his contract expires, and Tottenham are now positioning themselves as early suitors to sign Rudiger as a free agent in 2027.
