CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
David Alaba and Thibaut Courtois named in Real Madrid squad: will they play against Bayern Munich?
Both Madrid players will travel to Germany for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at Allianz Arena.
On Sunday, Real Madrid completed their second training session in preparation for Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final against crisis-hit Bayern Munich in Germany, with head coach Carlo Ancelotti buoyed by plenty of good news. Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy, who missed Friday’s win at Real Sociedad, have been surprisingly joined in the squad by long-term injury victims Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba.
Real Madrid team news: Bellingham, Rodrygo, Mendy, Carvajal...
Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo didn’t feature in the Basque Country because of illness, while Mendy was absent because of a muscle problem. They are, however, now back in full training and expected to regain their spots in the starting lineup.
Bayern Munich - Real Madrid
The main setback for the Italian is that he will be unable to call upon Dani Carvajal, who must serve a one-match Champions League suspension after being booked in the second leg of the quarter-final against Manchester City. Lucas Vázquez or the fit-again Eder Militão are the candidates to start at right-back.
Ancelotti spent much of Sunday’s session focusing on his team’s tactical approach for the first leg in Munich, with some video analysis in the morning followed by a session out on the field at Valdebebas.
After the players who started against Real Sociedad were put through a recovery session on Saturday, while all members of the roster were involved the following day, with the exception of the injured David Alaba.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois did part of the session with his teammates but also did some tailored training as he looks to make his return from a lengthy absence against Cádiz in LaLiga next Saturday.
Why won’t Courtois and Alaba play against Bayern? When will they be back?
The Real Madrid roster will fly to Germany on Monday morning before training at Allianz Arena at 7:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT).
Alaba and Courtois were both named in the squad for the game against Bayern, although though neither will play.
The Austrian defender ruptured his anterior crucial ligament (ACL) in December and isn’t expected to be back in action until next season. As mentioned, Courtois has been pencilled in to play against Cádiz next weekend following ACL and meniscus injuries but won’t be risked in the first leg of the semi-final.