Real Madrid News
Real Madrid right-back ruled out of Villarreal clash due to muscle overload – report
As Real Madrid gear up for a tricky test against Villarreal in La Liga this weekend, they have been dealt with a setback ahead of the game.
According to journalist Miguel Angel Diaz of COPE (h/t Bernabeu Digital), defensive mainstay Dani Carvajal is suffering from an overload in the soleus muscle and will miss the match against Villarreal.
Carvajal has been Ancelotti’s first-choice right-back option and has played 22 matches across all competitions this season, registering three assists.
However, the 30-year-old had missed the Copa del Rey encounter against Cacereno earlier this week due to the injury.
Ancelotti was hopeful of having the veteran Spaniard back in time for the Villarreal clash but it had been reported that the right-back’s involvement in the game was a doubt.
Now, Miguel Angel Diaz seems to have confirmed that Carvajal will definitively miss out on the trip to El Madrigal this weekend.
This development comes as a blow for Real Madrid, given that the 30-year-old is an integral part of Ancelotti’s setup. And the Italian tactician will be hoping that the full-back is able to recover quickly and return to action.
As for the Villarreal match, Carvajal’s potential absence means Lucas Vazquez will be in line to start as the right-back for Real Madrid on Saturday.
The winger-turned-full-back has done well whenever called upon by the manager, producing a return of two goals and an assist from 13 matches this season.
Another option for the manager would be Alvaro Odriozola, who made his first appearance of the season against Cacereno earlier this week, albeit playing as a left-back.
In what could be a real deal breaker for Real Madrid ahead of their Copa del Rey semi-final second leg clash against Barcelona, it has been revealed that as many as three Barça will be absent from the game while another key player remains a major doubt.
The list includes the likes of Pedri, Ousmane Dembele and Andreas Christensen. The trio is certain to miss the game through respective injuries while a certain Frenkie de Jong is more or less ruled out, as per Javi Miguel.
It must be remembered that Barcelona are heading into the second leg with a 1-0 advantage. But the absence of the aforementioned players means Madrid can work on exploiting the frailties.
Despite the absence of such big names, Barcelona did pretty well against Elche in their previous outing, coming out 4-0 victorious, with the goals coming from Robert Lewandowski, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.
With options lacking in midfield, Xavi decided to use the likes of Sergi Roberto and Eric Garcia along with Gavi in the heart of the lineup. In any way, they do have Sergio Busquets and Franck Kessie as backups if needed.
The defence, on the other hand, was perfectly guarded by Jordi Alba, Marcos Alonso, Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde.
One can expect Xavi to once again interchange Araujo with Kounde on the right since the Uruguayan has been rather successful in minimizing the threat of Vinicius Jr.
As far as Madrid are concerned, they are sweating over the fitness of three key defenders, namely, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho, and Ferland Mendy. Between these three, the Frenchman is out for about a month while Rudiger and Nacho are expected to be back before the Clasico.
If there are no casualties against Real Valladolid, Madrid will have a perfect midfield and attack, with only Mariano Diaz missing.
