Real Madrid News
Real Madrid’s injured stars accelerate recovery ahead of FIFA Club World Cup
Real Madrid travel to Miami today for the FIFA Club World Cup with new manager Xabi Alonso naming a 34-man squad.
Included in the travelling party are ten academy players, as well as all the injured members of the first team – Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy, Endrick, and Eduardo Camavinga.
While not all of them are expected to be fit in time for the tournament, some are in strong contention to play an important role under Xabi Alonso.
Four players back in training
Indeed, according to MARCA, four players returning from injury – Militao, Rudiger, Carvajal, and Alaba completed part of today’s training session with the rest of the squad.
Rudiger was the latest of the quartet to get injured and had to undergo surgery in April. Having spent close to two months out, the German defender is back in training as he took part in ball work alongside his teammates and is expected to be the first to return to full match fitness.
As for Militao, who was Ancelotti’s first-choice central defender, his challenge is more complicated. He is returning from a long-term injury after rupturing his cruciate ligament last November in a league match against Athletic Club.
His expected return at the Club World Cup comes eight months after that incident. While he has begun working with the team, it is likely that Alonso will not rush him back into action.
Carvajal and Alaba also split their training between group sessions and individual work. The former, like Militao, is recovering from an ACL injury sustained in October and the club is not taking any risks with his recovery.
With the arrival of Trent Alexander-Arnold, there is less urgency for Carvajal to rush his return. Alaba, on the other hand, underwent knee surgery on 30 April and could also make his comeback during the Club World Cup.
Real Madrid News
Rayo Vallecano manager names the one Real Madrid figure he would remove from the team
Rayo Vallecano face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on a wounded Real Madrid this weekend.
Life after Inigo Perez has not been kind to the Vallecas-based club, who have already had to travel to Camp Nou and now face a trip to the home of their city giants.
Speaking ahead of the game (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rayo Vallecano manager Benat San Jose was asked which Real Madrid player he would like to remove from the team before this weekend’s game.
Surprisingly, his choice was not Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Thibaut Courtois.
“Mourinho”
Asked which Madrid player he would take out of the upcoming contest, Benat jokingly chose the man sitting on the opposition bench.
“Which Real Madrid player I’d remove from the match against them? Mourinho,” Benat said with a laugh.
The answer might have been delivered jokingly, but the Rayo coach immediately made clear just how highly he rates the Portuguese manager.
“He’s one of the best managers in history,” he added.
It is significant praise ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s squad contains enough individual quality to give any opposition coach several obvious answers, but Benat instead highlighted the influence Mourinho can have over the entire team.
That has become particularly relevant since the Portuguese coach returned to Madrid. His early work has focused on making a talented group function with greater collective discipline.
Courtois and Madrid’s attack also praised
Benat did not stop with the manager.
“They also have one of the best GKs in history and one of the best attackers in history,” he said.
Benat will definitely have seen how Thibaut Courtois played against Inter Milan in midweek and will hope that version does not turn up again this weekend.
Even when teams manage to create opportunities against Madrid, they still have to beat one of the defining goalkeepers of his generation.
At the opposite end, Madrid possess attacking quality capable of turning a match on its head.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can all decide matches single-handedly.
Madrid have a point to prove
Madrid are coming off a disappointing loss to Real Betis in La Liga last weekend and will come into this game with a point to prove.
They will want to ensure that the loss to the Andalusian club was a one-off and that they return to winning ways against Rayo.
Their title rivals, Barça, have been flying high in the league, scoring goals and picking opponents apart for fun.
Madrid need to ensure that they do not hand too much early incentive to Barça, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare against Rayo Vallecano.
