Just after the derby against Atlético Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti’s side has suffered another blow as Lucas Vázquez has picked up an injury and is therefore ruled out for the crucial Champions League play-off clash against Manchester City next Tuesday.
Initially called up for the showdown against Manchester City in the Champions League next Tuesday, Lucas Vázquez has now been withdrawn from the squad. After a solid performance against Atlético Madrid in the 23rd round of La Liga, the Spanish right-back will be unable to continue due to a fresh muscle injury. In an official statement released on Sunday, Real Madrid’s medical department confirmed that the 33-year-old has been diagnosed with “a muscle injury in the hamstring of his left leg.”
Federico Valverde back on the right flank
In response to yet another defensive injury, Carlo Ancelotti is set to reposition another midfielder in defence for Real Madrid’s upcoming matches. Just as Aurélien Tchouaméni has been filling in at centre-back following the injuries to Rüdiger and Alaba, Federico Valverde is now expected to drop to the right side of defence to cover for Lucas Vázquez, who will be sidelined for two weeks. With just days to go before the showdown against Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues, this is yet another frustrating setback for Los Blancos, who can’t seem to catch a break this season.
Already without Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, and more recently their two central defenders (Rüdiger and Alaba), Carlo Ancelotti is left patching up his defence at a crucial stage of the season. With Raúl Asensio impressing, the Madrid coaching staff may now have to turn to other young defenders from the reserve team to help stabilise the backline. Hopefully, there won’t be any more setbacks in the coming days that could further cripple this already depleted Real Madrid side, which is desperately trying to weather the storm.
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