In a press conference shortly after the narrow victory against Real Sociedad in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, Carlo Ancelotti announced injury concerns within his squad. Two key players in the dressing room are affected.
Real Madrid did not miss the essential on Wednesday. Away at Anoeta, Real Sociedad’s pitch, in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals, the Madrid club secured a 1-0 win thanks to a goal from young Endrick (in the 19th minute). In a match where players like Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior, and Andriy Lunin shone (player ratings here), bad news has hit the team. While it was initially thought that Raúl Asencio’s yellow card late in the first half was the reason for his substitution at half-time, Carlo Ancelotti revealed after the match that the young player was injured. Besides this injury, Dani Ceballos also suffered a problem towards the end of the game.
“I took Raúl Asencio off because he was injured and had a yellow card,” the Madrid coach first told the press before addressing the death chants from Real Sociedad supporters against his 21-year-old talent. “Raúl Asencio was very affected. Imagine an entire stadium telling you to die… He was definitely not happy. I took him off because of that,” Ancelotti added. According to the Madrid coach, the Spanish centre-back’s injury does not seem serious, unlike Dani Ceballos’s.
When asked about the midfielder, who has been delivering masterclass performances for weeks, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that medical tests will be carried out on Thursday to assess the extent of the damage. “Ceballos had a muscle issue at the end of the match and will undergo tests tomorrow.” According to initial reports, the player, who has been an excellent replacement for Toni Kroos, could be sidelined for around three to four weeks due to discomfort in the posterior part of his left thigh. More to follow.
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