Real Madrid Handed Unfathomable Defensive Crisis Ahead of Man City Clash
Real Madrid’s injury woes went from bad to worse on Sunday evening when center back Éder Militão suffered what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury in the club’s 2–0 defeat to Celta Vigo.
The Brazil international overextended himself to stop Los Celestes winger Pablo Durán on the counter attack in the early stages of the La Liga clash and immediately went to ground in pain, clutching the back of his left thigh.
Militão was assessed by the Real Madrid medical staff and then needed their assistance to get off the pitch. The defender was replaced with Antonio Rüdiger in the 24th minute as the sea of white shirts at the Bernabéu watched on in pained silence.
AS report Militão will undergo testing in the next 48 hours to determine the severity of the injury, but there is an overwhelming feeling of “pessimism” at the club surrounding his prognosis. The 27-year-old could be out up to three months if the issue is as severe as feared.
If Militão is stuck in the infirmary, he will be unable to help Real Madrid take on Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday evening. The Brazilian joins Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy on the sidelines.
Alonso will hope Huijsen can recover in time for the marquee European bout, but if not, the Spanish boss will be forced to deploy yet another makeshift backline, likely consisting of Federico Valverde at right back and Raúl Asencio partnering Rüdiger in defense.
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Alonso Without Seven Defenders for Alavés Clash Next Sunday
Real Madrid’s defensive woes will get even worse next weekend in La Liga, even if Huijsen returns to Alonso’s squad. Not only will the Spanish giants be missing the aforementioned injured players, but they will also be without Fran García and Álvaro Carreras.
The two left backs were needlessly sent off in Los Blancos’ shock defeat to Celta Vigo, and therefore they face at least a one-game suspension in La Liga. Alonso, then, will not have a single fullback available for his team's trip to Mendizorroza.
Valverde will likely return to the right flank while Eduardo Camavinga could get the nod at left back, reprising the emergency role he had under Carlo Ancelotti.
The good news for the 15-time European champions, though, is that García and Carreras are still able to play Man City in the Champions League since their red cards came in La Liga.
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