Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward sends message to Barcelona ace Gavi after ACL injury
Real Madrid have had to deal with a difficult international break as they lost two key players, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Jr., to injuries while away on national team duty.
Last night, Los Blancos’ arch-rivals, Barcelona, were also dealt with a major injury setback as star midfielder Gavi seemed to suffer a major knee injury during Spain’s UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier against Georgia.
The teenage midfielder left the pitch in tears after being taken off and initial reports suggest that his season could be over as he is understood to have suffered an ACL injury, much like Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao.
Joselu sends a message to Gavi
Soon after the injury, Real Madrid forward Joselu was spotted comforting Gavi on the sidelines as the youngster trudged off the pitch in pain and in tears.
And following the completion of the game between Spain and Georgia, the veteran striker took to social media to send a message to the Barcelona youngster after the unfortunate injury.
Posting a picture of himself and Gavi, Joselu wrote: “We are with you Gavi. You will come back stronger than ever.”
The sheer number of injuries occurring in the international break are bound to raise questions about the workload on the players.
The governing bodies must be held accountable for the situation as footballers at top clubs are having to play around 60+ games for club and country per season.
Real Madrid are back in the Champions League following their impressive win against Cadiz on the weekend as they host Napoli at the Santiago Bernabeu for gameweek five.
They have already secured qualification to the round of 16, and even a point today would secure first place in the group.
With several players still injured, Carlo Ancelotti has opted for his best available starting lineup, with Daniel Carvajal taking responsibility of the captain’s armband at right-back. He will be aided by Ferland Mendy, who starts on the other side.
Meanwhile, in between them, David Alaba returns to the fold as the starting centre-back, partnering Antonio Rudiger. This duo has the responsibility of screening Andriy Lunin, who continues in goal in Kepa and Thibaut Courtois’ absence.
With both Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni out, Toni Kroos gets the chance to play as the holding midfielder for two games in a row. Federico Valverde retains his spot, as well, while Dani Ceballos comes in for the injured Luka Modric in central midfield.
Rodrygo will spearhead the team’s frontline as one of the two twin forwards, while Brahim Diaz gets the nod over Joselu. Jude Bellingham is the final, and arguably the most important piece of the puzzle, playing behind the front-two.
📋✅ Our starting 𝗫𝗜!
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) November 29, 2023
🆚 @en_sscnapoli #UCL pic.twitter.com/MarLb7TavA
Confirmed Madrid XI: Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos, Ceballos; Bellingham; Diaz, Rodrygo
