Well, that is that! The three remaining games are now just dead rubber for Real Madrid. Virtually eliminated from La Liga title contention, at the hands of FC Barcelona yesterday, manager Carlo Ancelotti can now take a very different approach to rest of the run-in. The 4-3 El Clasico defeat also brought a couple of new injury concerns, in Vinicius Jr. and Federico Valverde, although the latter actually turned out to be nothing. Ancelotti also gave an update on the Rodrygo situation, in his post match press conference that followed the crushing road defeat.
moment of injury Valverde 😢 pic.twitter.com/FYMyokuXl5
— Real Madrid HQ (@RealMadrid__HQ) May 11, 2025
Real Madrid vs RCD Mallorca FYIs
Wed. May 14, 9:30pm, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid 72% Draw 17% Mallorca 11%
Real Madrid Team News vs Mallorca
However, we’ll start with Vini. “He didn’t ask to come off—I made the decision,” the outgoing Madrid boss said. “He had an ankle sprain. He tried to continue but it was bothering him, so I made the change.” So we will wait to see and hear how severe the sprain might or might not be.
Víctor Muñoz, a very young academy player, came on in his place and had a golden chance to score the potential equalizer, as he had a one-on-one with Wojciech Szczesny, but he just couldn’t meet the moment. He’s just not ready for a match of this magnitude yet.
As for Fede Valverde, he took a tumble in the first half that made it look like he suffered a major injury. However, it actually proved to be nothing, because he kept on playing. So we have no idea what that was actually about. Maybe some simulation? Over-dramatization? Can’t really say for sure.
Finally, Rodrygo, due to injury and illness, did not come off the bench and feature in this one. (Although he was well enough to make the matchday squad). Ancelotti rejected the rumors that there is a rift between himself and the forward.
“He recovered, but was not feeling well [that’s why he did not start],” Ancelotti said.
“There’s nothing there, I have zero problems with him. He wasn’t at 100%. If I put him on for five or seven minutes, if he’s not at 100%, he’s only getting injured.
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.”
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