Real Madrid have some major fitness concerns heading into Saturday’s top of the table match against Girona on Saturday. Antonio Rudiger, Nacho Fernandez and Vinicius Junior are all doubts for the crunch clash at the Berneabeu, as all three trained away from the rest of the group on Wednesday.
You’ll notice that those first two names we listed happen to be central defenders, meanwhile both David Alaba and Éder Militão remain sidelined with long-term injuries.
Girona at Real Madrid FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Feb. 10, 6:30pm, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
La Liga Position, Form: Real Madrid 1st, 58 pts, DWWWW Girona 2nd, 56 pts, DWWDW
Win Probability: Real Madrid 68% Draw 18% Girona 14%
Real Madrid Team News
So this means that manager Carlo Ancelotti has a center-back crisis on his hands. With Rudiger (inflammation in his thigh muscle) and Nacho Fernández (unspecified muscle fatigue) following individual training programs, Ancelotti will likely have to deploy a full back and/or defensive midfielder in the spine of the back line.
As for Vinícius, he spent today’s training session alone in the gym, as he’s working through some neck pain.
Also, in case you missed it, and judging by the unique visitor counts you have (sorry: nod to Harry Doyle from “Major League”), Kylian Mbappe is finally coming to Real Madrid this summer.
Unless he’s not. ESPN said this deal is going to finally happen, this past Saturday night. And then walked it back a couple days later.
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.