The bad news happens in the center of Madrid’s defense. The club announced this Saturday, five hours before facing Girona (6:30 p.m., DAZN), that Antonio Rüdiger suffers a muscle injury to the vastus lateralis of his left thigh. The first medical estimates point to a loss of about two weeks, which would leave him out, in addition to the key league clash this weekend, the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 next Tuesday in Leipzig and Sunday’s visit to Vallecas. On February 25, the white team hosts Sevilla, an event for which, if the forecasts are met, the German could be available.
Against Girona, Ancelotti also does not have Nacho, with an overload, so the Italian faces the match without any pure center back. Alaba and Militão continue recovering from their cruciate tears. If there are no surprises or more last-minute unforeseen events, Tchouameni and Carvajal should be the starting centre-backs against Míchel’s team; a pivot and a winger converted into the emergency this season. For Tuesday, Carletto does hope to get Nacho back, as he indicated this Saturday at a press conference.
Everything indicated that Rüdiger, who was out a week ago against Atlético due to the blow he suffered against Getafe three days before, would return to the eleven against Girona. Ancelotti commented in the preview that he had had “good feelings in the game on a reduced field”, in the first training session he had done with the rest of his teammates. He even added that he was a part of the body where there was no risk and everything depended on sensations. However, out of optimism, he scheduled a final test for this Saturday morning, where a muscle injury was finally detected that further exacerbates Madrid’s medical crisis in defense.
The only good news for the whites is the recovery of Vinicius, absent from the derby due to a cervical problem. According to Ancelotti, he is fine to start as a starter.