Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s latest injury update ahead of Rayo Vallecano trip in LaLiga
Ancelotti has one huge player back in his squad ahead of a tricky test in Vallecas.
The Christmas lights have been turned on in the Spanish capital but they will be outshone by the floodlights (however unsure one can be with Vallecas) at the stadium as Real Madrid roll downtown to take on Rayo Vallecano in match day 17 of the 2024-25 LaLiga season.
It’s only a 6-mile journey from the Santiago Bernabéu to the Estadio de Vallecas but the two worlds could not be further apart: the shiny glamour of the swanky end of the city, full of banks and high-end fashion stores, shows off their 85,000 seater arena that recently welcomed Taylor Swift while a neglected 3-sideed ground is squeezed into the tapas bar-filled tight streets of the working-class neighbourhood, with fans queuing up outside over the past few days thanks to the lack of, apart from everything from hated president Raúl Martín Presa, an online ticket service.
Despite the club’s third-tier infrastructure, Rayo Vallecano sit 12th in the LaLiga table with Iñigo Pérez at the helm and the atmosphere inside the Estadio de Vallecas will be as loud as ever by the time the ball is rolling in a wintery Madrid.
For the game, their opponents will be without a few key names, but that will not stop the fans from filling every seat and making things as uncomfortable as possible.
Real Madrid injury update vs Rayo Vallecano
Ahead of the game, Ancelotti announced his squad with the absences of Militão Carvajal, Mendy and Alaba all but assured, with the latter needing only a few more weeks of recovery time.
As for Kylian Mbappé, who went down in Real Madrid’s thrilling win over Serie A leaders Atalanta, he will not feature in the game after undergoing scans that are set to keep him out of action for around 10 days.
However, there is good news: Eduardo Camavinga is “ready” to play, according to Ancelotti, who surprised us all with the update in his pre-game press conference.
The Frenchman was injured against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League, a 2-0 loss, that could have easily been pointed out as his best game for the Spanish side in a long time.
Camavinga was everywhere in the midfield, sweeping up loose passes and closing down the Reds' flying attackers. His injury was the start of the collapse on the night (and of course Mbappé‘s penalty miss), and his return surely brought with it a sigh of relief from Ancelotti.
The LaLiga matchday-17 game between Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid will be played at the Estadio de Vallecas, Spain, on Saturday December 14, 2024. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET/12 noon PT.
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