Real Madrid Facing Defensive Injury Crisis Ahead Of La Liga Title Run-In

Real Madrid are hanging on to the tailcoats of Barcelona in the La Liga title race. Los Blancos sit four points behind their league rivals with five games remaining. One of those is the final El Clásico on May 11.

It means a win against Barca would blow the title race wide open, but first, they must beat Celta Vigo this coming Sunday.

However, if it weren't difficult enough for Real, with performances that were not at their best, they would need to do it without three key defenders.

Center-back Antonio Rudiger has undergone a successful meniscus surgery, which has ruled him out for 6-8 weeks. The German is reportedly suspended for six games after his Copa del Rey red card, so regardless of the surgery, he would have been out. He has said he had been playing through the injury, so with the suspension looming, the club likely thought it was a good time to fix the issue.

Another player who looks to be out for the rest of the season is left-back Ferland Mendy. Marca have reported he will require surgery on a ruptured tendon. David Alaba is also out for the next five games with a rupture of the internal meniscus.

🚨⚠️ David Alaba has suffered rupture of the internal meniscus and his season can be considered over.

Real Madrid staff will try to have him back for the Club World Cup. pic.twitter.com/Nb6xUHJRcO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 29, 2025

Los Blancos are hopeful that Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba can return for the FIFA Club World Cup that starts on June 18. However, Ferland Mendy may not be available for the tournament in the US.

It leaves Carlo Ancelotti very short at the back for the final five La Liga games. At center-back, Aurélien Tchouaméni can play alongside Raul Asencio, while the other option is Jesús Vallejo, who has made a ten-minute appearance this season.

Fran Garcia will play the final five games at left-back, with midfielder Eduardo Camavinga also injured. They could call upon youth product Youssef Enriqueza, but he would be a backup. It was already a tough order to win the title, but it's got much tougher.

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