On Monday, ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League Playoff versus Benfica, lots of Real Madrid injury and fitness situation news dropped. The headliner is/was Jude Bellingham, but we also saw some updates on Eder Militao, Dean Huijsen and Rodrygo published as well. Bellingham suffered a hamstring injury on February 1, against Rayo Vallecano, and initially, it had at least been hoped that he would return for the March international period, and feature for England. Or at least England manager Thomas Tuchel had been hopeful of Bellingham coming back for international duty at that time.
However, according to an ESPN report today, both Bellingham and Brazilian central defender Eder Militao will return in early April. Most likely, it will be the clash against Mallorca on April 5.
Champions League Playoff Leg 2 of 2
Real Madrid vs Benfica
Tie aggregate: Real Madrid leads 1-0
Kickoff: 8pm Wed. Feb. 25, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Injury Updates
Win Probability (90 Minutes): Real Madrid 66% Draw 19% Benfica 15%
Real Madrid Team News
Militao suffered a torn hamstring on December 7 in a loss to Celta Vigo. Elsewhere Rodrygo is back to being fully match fit, but he is ineligible to feature Wednesday night, as he’s suspended for both legs of the UCL playoff tie. Meanwhile Dean Huijsen is a doubt here due to an unspecified muscular injury.
And that covers it all and gets you up to speed, on a match where the main storyline is quite obvious- facing off against Jose Mourinho again. It’s safe to say that Mourinho, who is almost always “box office,” we be that again in midweek.
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 USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.