LALIGA
Why isn’t Antonio Rüdiger playing for Real Madrid against Girona in LaLiga? When will he be back?
The German central defender was named in the squad by Carlo Ancelotti but ultimately won’t feature at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Antonio Rüdiger was Real Madrid’s last central defender (kind of) standing for Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash against Girona but has become Los Blancos’ latest casualty, leaving managr Carlo Ancelotti with no senior centre-backs available for selection.
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What injury does Rüdiger have? How long will he be out?
The German didn’t play in last weekend’s Madrid derby draw against Atlético Madrid after suffering a thigh injury in the win over Getafe 10 days ago, but had been expected to play through the pain barrier against the Catalans. However, having being named in the matchday squad for the game on Friday, Rüdiger has now been forced to drop out after it was discovered the injury to his quad was worse than first feared.
Madrid’s defensive injuries: Militão, Alaba, Nacho...
The former Chelsea defender is now set for two weeks on the sidelines, leaving Anceloltti with a selection dilemma at the back ahead of the return of the Champions League on Tuesday.
Eder Militão and David Alaba are both recovering from ACL tears and, although the Brazilian should return before the end of the season, we won’t see the Austrian until 2024-25. Club captain Nacho had already been ruled out of the Girona game because of muscular fatigue, although he is likely to feature against RB Leipzig this coming midweek.
With no recogniser central defenders available, right-back Dani Carvajal and central midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni are set to form an unlikely partnership in the heart of the defence, with Ancelotti desperate for Nacho to prove his fitness for the trip to Germany on Tuesday.