Real Madrid News
Real Madrid squad believe they can still retain the La Liga title – report
Following the 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid on Sunday, it felt like Real Madrid had pretty much kissed goodbye to their hopes of retaining the La Liga title.
After all, the slip-up meant that league leaders Barcelona had the opportunity to increase their advantage at the top to ten points.
But, the Blaugrana failed to capitalise on the opening as they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to UD Almeria last night, meaning Real Madrid remain seven points behind them.
And, now Mario Cortegana of The Athletic is reporting that there is a strong belief within the Real Madrid squad that they can still retain the La Liga title despite the gap between them and Barcelona currently.
The report claims that following Barça’s defeat to Almeria last night, the Real Madrid players’ Whatsapp group was very active, with messages of joy and even some jokes being exchanged among the squad members.
At the same time, Carlo Ancelotti and his staff were also understood to be happy with the outcome of their rivals’ match, after how things had panned out on Saturday.
The report states that the Italian and his team were upset at the amount of criticism that they had received after the draw against Atletico as they felt that the detractors were not factoring the toll that the comeback win against Liverpool earlier that week had taken.
Either way, Real Madrid squad members continue to believe that they can scale the gap between themselves and Barcelona and successfully defend their La Liga crown.
With the battle for the league title heating up, the Clasico at Camp Nou on March 19 will have major repercussions on how the race could unfold.
But before that, Real Madrid will host Barça in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final later this week. A victory here could be the ideal catalyst for Ancelotti & co. to push for the title while denting their rivals’ confidence further.
In what will come as a pleasing development for fans, Fabrizio Romano reports that Real Madrid forward Rodrygo could make a comeback from his injury earlier than expected.
The 25-year-old Brazilian international has been out of action since March after suffering an ACL injury during a La Liga game against Getafe.
Due to the complete rupture of the ACL, coupled with associated meniscus damage, it was suggested that the attacker was staring at a lengthy time out on the sidelines and might not return until 2027.
In fact, the forward’s father, Eric Goes, recently stated in an interview that the Real Madrid ace could be back in February next year, just before the business end of the campaign.
Rodrygo could be back in December
However, as per the update from Romano, Rodrygo’s comeback could happen well before that expected date.
Indeed, if things continue to progress at the current rate, the 25-year-old attacker might return to action in December or by January 2027 at the latest.
This will come as a welcome boost for Jose Mourinho & co., considering that Rodrygo is a valuable player for the team.
Even though he had endured a tough spell prior to his form, the Brazilian’s versatility, work rate off the ball, and eye for a goal make him an asset.
Rodrygo eager to be back at his best
The update from Romano further states that Rodrygo feels very grateful to Real Madrid for all the help and support they have given him during this difficult phase of his career.
As such, the Brazilian international has made it a mission to return to action in the best shape possible and make an impact from the get-go.
The attacker has only recently begun working on the pitch with the ball indicating the significant progress he has made on the road to recovery.
And, if there are no setbacks, Real Madrid could recover one of their ace attackers before the end of the current year.
So far in his career, Rodrygo has made 297 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring 71 goals. He has a contract with the club until 2028.
