As Real Madrid shift from one domestic cup competition to the other, they have a trio of fresh fitness concerns. The bad news is that said injury concerns pertain to a triad of key players: Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy.
The good news is that these injury issues are actually quite minor, and the whole troika could be passed match fit to feature in midweek.
El Derbi Madrileño FYIs
Competition: Supercopa de Espana Semifinals
Kickoff: Wed. Jan. 10, 8pm, Al Awwal Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Starting XI Predictions: Real Madrid Atletico Madrid
Team News: Real Madrid Atletico Madrid
European football book authored by The Sports Bank Founder Paul M. Banks: go here
Real Madrid Team News
Let’s start with Kroos, who missed out against Arandina due to an ankle injury. He is expect to be back in time for the Madrid derby here. Mendy, likewise, missed the Copa Del Rey, but should be available for the Spanish Super Cup. The defender has been battling an unspecified muscular injury.
Finally, in regards to Camavinga, who has already overcome a major injury this season, the Frenchman was forced to be subbed off early against Arandina, due to a back injury.
However, he’s expected to return on Wednesday. Elsewhere Lucas Vazquez remains out, for likely the rest of the month, with hamstring injury.
Which then leads us to the final set of Real Madrid players to cover here- the long-term injury absentees.
That list remains unchanged, and it consists of Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba and Eder Militao
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.