The Real Madrid’s number one defender, Antonio Rüdiger, is heading to the treatment room. Injured during the match against Espanyol Barcelona on Saturday in La Liga, Carlo Ancelotti’s key man has suffered a femoral biceps injury in his right leg and will miss crucial matches.
His injury was overshadowed by the huge controversy surrounding Real Madrid’s defeat on the pitch of Espanyol Barcelona on Saturday evening. Once again deployed at the heart of the Madrid defence for Matchday 22 of La Liga, Antonio Rüdiger lasted only 15 minutes on the pitch. Challenging for a cross, the German rock felt pain in the back of his right leg and went to the ground. Unable to continue despite assistance from the Merengue medical staff, the player underwent medical tests this Sunday.
The bad news for Real Madrid
And as stated in the club’s official statement, Antonio Rüdiger is suffering from a muscular issue, specifically a femoral biceps injury. Fatigued by the relentless fixture schedule, the former Chelsea player will rest but at the worst possible time for Real Madrid. While the club’s medical staff has not clearly specified the length of his absence, Marca and The Athletic indicate that the 31-year-old rock will miss at least two weeks of competition. Carlo Ancelotti will already be without his defensive linchpin this Wednesday in the Copa del Rey.
If this quarter-final match against Leganés remains important, Rüdiger’s absence should not be felt due to the level of opposition. Where the real concern lies is the forfeit against Atlético Madrid next weekend in the capital’s derby. Separated by just one point, the two Madrid giants will battle fiercely for the top spot in La Liga. After this electrifying match at the Santiago Bernabéu, Ancelotti and the Madrid squad will also have to do without Rüdiger in the big clash against Manchester City in the Champions League play-offs.
This is a major absence that could weigh heavily on the Madrid squad. Not at all defensively sovereign this season, Carlo Ancelotti’s team will have to rely on Raúl Asensio and most likely David Alaba. With Aurélien Tchouaméni currently being the weak link in this Real Madrid team, the Madrid coach should avoid pushing the French midfielder into defence, at the risk of jeopardising the matches in advance.
Today, with Rüdiger’s injury, Real Madrid may have regrets about not signing a defender during the winter transfer window. Since the injuries to Carvajal and Militão, Florentino Pérez and his collaborators have refused to bring in a medical joker who could have provided stability to the squad in light of the current injury to the German defender. The coming weeks promise to be turbulent and anxious at Real Madrid.
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