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Real Madrid: Carlo Ancelotti gets injury relief during FIFA break
The Italian coach is confident that the international break will help him get up to six players out of the treatment room and back for LaLiga's return.
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti saw the first international break of the 2021-22 season arrive with a personal feeling of a job pretty well done. Having seen his side take seven points out of nine in the opening three games, all away from home as the refurbished Santiago Bernabéu is readied, and they have shown that they can, at times, play with an entertaining flow and create numerous goal-scoring opportunities. They already have eight in the bag.
With the transfer market now behind him, he can enjoy the addition to his squad of Camavinga, and he has more reasons to be positive expected in the coming days.
Madrid players back in contention
Not the pitch it’s not all been smelling of roses. Four goals against - three of them coming at Levante - and a less than convincing win over Real Betis gave reminders of the uncertainties that surround the Madrid of recent seasons. That said, Carlo has managed this with no less than seven absentees, although he hopes that the FIFA break will give him some relief in this regard.
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Right now there are seven first team squad players in the treatment room: Modric, Kroos, Marcelo, Mendy, Lunin, Nacho and Ceballos. If everything goes to plan, six of them could be ready for the return of LaLiga, on 12 September against Celta Vigo, and those players will be itching to be involved given that it is the expected relaunch of the stadium where they have not played since 1 March 2020. It may not be the desired home debut of a certain Kylian Mbappé, but it is an important step forward in the club’s ambitions.
Kroos and Mendy the biggest doubts
Lunin will be available for sure, as his absence is due to a positive covid test that, by then, should be out of the way. Nacho missed the trip to Betis but should be back in training next week, while Marcelo has already been involved in sessions and should be at full fitness in the coming 10 days. Modric is also on the verge of returning to action, potentially even being ready to aid Croatia’s World Cup qualification hopes in their third match of this break.
The most difficult cases are those of Kroos and Mendy, although Ancelotti is feeling positive about them joining up soon for training with the rest of the squad. The German is suffering from a groin injury while the French defender’s lower leg issue is a little more complicated.