REAL MADRID
Real Madrid boss gives Jude Bellingham injury update after Braga win in Champions League
The Real Madrid boss spoke after the narrow win over Braga in the Champions League, in which Bellingham left the field early with physical issues.
Real Madrid escaped from a tough tie in Portugal with a narrow 1-2 win over Braga who caused the 14-time Champions League winners plenty of problems in a tough setting. The game, despite being a positive result for Los Blancos, left fans scared as match-winning goal scorer Jude Bellingham walked off the field early with what many suspected was a physical issue.
Moments before being substituted, the player was seeing tumbling to the floor due to apparent pain or tiredness, causing alarms to sound in the Spanish capital for a player who has been a revolution since his arrival. After the game, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti gave an update on his fitness ahead of El Clásico at the weekend.
What did Carlo Ancelotti say about Jude Bellingham?
Unsurprisingly, given the impact the Englishman has had on the team, question number one in the post-match press conference was the status of the midfielder.
“Jude Bellingham is fine” he said, causing people to return to their houses and stop screaming in the streets, “his adductor is a bit overloaded due to the state of the pitch, which was a bit soft. It’s nothing special. He’ll be fine, he’s fit. He’s a bit tired but it’s normal.”
Ancelotti says Vinicius was “the difference” between the two sides
Carlo Ancelotti also spoke about the high level of form that Vinicius is going through, saying that the player “is back to his best” and that “he was the difference” in a tight game against their Portuguese opponents.
“We suffered away from home in a tough game”, said Vinicius after the match. “We have to keep going like this, we have won all our Champions League games and we have to keep going... It’s always good to win and have confidence for the upcoming games in the rest of the season”, he added.
Rodrygo thanks Ancelotti for support
Another Brazilian who shone in the game was Rodrygo, who finally got his name on the scoresheet after a long period of being unable to find the back of the net. In the post-match interview, Rodrygo openly thanked Carlo Ancelotti to the cameras, saying “Thanks to the manager, thank you. He has always calmed me and believed in me. He has always trusted me and he knows I love him a lot.”
After hearing the kinds words from his player, Ancelotti smiled and responded by saying that Rodrygo is “a great talent. We have to help him when he goes through a tough moment. Young players are like that, little by little he’ll be back, he’s very important for us.”
‘I know who will play against Barcelona’ says Ancelotti
Ancelotti’s analysis of the game was simple, and he said that Madrid “defended well for one hour. Braga attack with many players, so it’s not easy. The four at the back were very good and Camavinga helped them.”
As for the upcoming fixture against Barcelona, Ancelotti said that “I know who will play against Barcelona, it’s clear to me. I wanted to rest some players like Alaba and Mendy tonight”, leaving a huge hint at the players who we can expect to make the trip to Cataluña and feature at Montjuïc on Saturday, 28 October at 10:15am ET/7:15am PT.
