Real Madrid have lost their appeal on the Jude Bellingham suspension. Whether the punishment is fair or not, and many believe it is not, it will stand.
The English midfielder has been handed a two-game suspension, for La Liga competition, due to the red card he received at the death in the draw with Valencia last time out. Thus the budding superstar will miss both this match versus Celta and the next one against Osasuna.
Real Madrid vs Celta Vigo FYIs
Kick-off: Sunday, Mar 10, 7:30 pm local, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu
Real Madrid Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
PL Form: Real Madrid DWDWD Celta Vigo WDLLW
La Liga Standing: Real Madrid 1st, 66 pts Celta Vigo CF 17th, 24 pts
Result Probability: Real Madrid win 74% Draw 16% Celta Vigo win 10%
Real Madrid Team News
Bellingham (16 goals on 50 shots, 2.7 per game, three assists) will not return until after the international break, when Real Madrid takes on Athletic Bilbao on March 31. While his absence is obviously a huge one, there are no new additional injury or suspension concerns for Carlo Ancelotti at this time.
Thibaut Courtois (ACL) is progressing along on a comeback that would see him potentially feature next month. Eder Militao (also an ACL), should be back a couple weeks after Courtois.
Barring any new setbacks of course.
The third member of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear Crew, David Alaba, won’t be back until next season however.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.