Real Madrid Star Set To Miss La Liga Clash Against Levante
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It would be an understatement of the highest order to say it has been an intense week for everyone associated with Real Madrid.
On Sunday, the team lost 3-2 to Barcelona in the Supercopa de España in Jeddah. As a result, Xabi Alonso was removed from his position the next day, much to the surprise of the footballing landscape.
Then, on Wednesday evening, the team were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey in the round of 16 by La Liga 2 strugglers Albacete, courtesy of a goal in the 94th minute. Everything that could go wrong is going wrong. When it rains, it pours.
The good thing about football is that there is always another game. There is always a chance to correct things, even if, at the moment, each game worsens things. And at this stage of the season, the games are coming thick and fast.
So much so that Los Blancos are back in action as soon as Saturday, when they will host Levante for match day 20 of the La Liga season. The visitors currently sit 19th in the league table, so it is a good opportunity to get back to winning ways.
Kylian Mbappe major doubt for Levante goal
However, Arbeloa's side will have to do it without (at least) one key player. Indeed, reports from MARCA on Thursday afternoon suggest that talisman Kylian Mbappe is set to be unavailable for this game due to injury.
They report that the player will miss the game as he still feels discomfort. Which is quite interesting. Earlier this month, he was ruled out for three weeks, yet managed a cameo against Barcelona quite a way ahead of schedule.
Yet, he now seems to be missing the game against Levante. You'd think the team will have enough to beat 19th place without Mbappe, but they couldn't beat one of the poorer sides in the second division without him, so who knows.
Many people suggested the 27-year-old had been rushed back for the Supercopa de España, and it has proved to be the way. As of right now, he seems to only be missing the game on Saturday - but who knows how many games he will eventually miss?
Even when the forward returns, he may aggravate another injury. This could be much worse than missing him for one more game if Real Madrid are not careful. You could miss a player for two more games, or risk missing him for two more months.
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Tom Vinall is a sports writer covering Real Madrid On SI. Previously, he had worked at FanSided as both a contributor and site expert, covering the likes of Spurs and Bayern Munich. He has also previously written for Transfer News Live. Tom was born and lives in Bristol, South West England, and loves to listen to music as well as learning Spanish.
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