Real Madrid News
Rival watch: Man City manager confirms two injury doubts ahead of Real Madrid clash
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Kyle Walker and John Stones will be absent from their upcoming matches, leaving them in a race against time to recover for the clash against Real Madrid.
This setback for the English team comes as both players sustained injuries while on international duty with England.
Guardiola anticipates that Walker’s recovery period will be longer than Stones’, however, the exact duration of their absence is yet to be determined as the manager awaits further information on their injuries.
“Kyle and John are out [against Arsenal],” said Guardiola as quoted by the Independent.
“It is what it is. [The injury for] Kyle is tougher than John but I don’t know how many games,” he added.
Meanwhile, it is said that Manuel Akanji, who missed training on Thursday, is expected to be fit to fill one of the defensive positions.
Additionally, Ederson is poised to return to the goalpost after recovering from a thigh injury sustained during the draw against Liverpool.
Grealish could be back though
On the other hand, Jack Grealish returned to the training field and seems ready to make his comeback after being sidelined for a month.
It is to be noted that the English player had to miss out on national team duties recently due to groin injuries. Nevertheless, he was spotted back in action during training sessions.
“It’s been a long time since he played but it’s a decision we will take tomorrow but you also have to see the calendar that we have,” said Guardiola about the forward.
“If we want to fight in all competitions we need all the players. We have enough and the calendar doesn’t look good for us but it is what it is.”
Lastly, the Man City boss also shared some information related to Kevin De Bruyne’s fitness, stating, “He trained really well yesterday so we will see what we’re going to do in the next days.”
Real Madrid take on Manchester City in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal on April 9 at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the stadium already sold out for the blockbuster clash.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
