Real Madrid Facing Injury Crisis As Midfielder Braced for ‘Two-Month Absence’

Jude Bellingham has been joined on the sidelines by another Real Madrid midfielder.

More bad news for Álvaro Arbeloa. | Valter Gouveia/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images

Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos is the latest to have been struck down by injury, with reports suggesting he faces up to two months on the sidelines.

A calf tear brings a miserable end to a forgettable week for Ceballos, who saw an eight-minute cameo off the bench against Osasuna end with a costly mistake and a public apology on social media. Now there will be no chance for an immediate response as AS predict an absence which will stretch well into April.

Losing Ceballos, a squad player under Arbeloa, is not a significant blow in isolation, but his injury comes shortly after it was confirmed another midfielder, Jude Bellingham, may need two months of his own to recover from injury. Options are increasingly slim for Arbeloa.

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Arbeloa Struggling With Midfield Options After Ceballos Injury

Dani Ceballos is set for a spell on the sidelines. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images

Losing Ceballos at the same time as Bellingham leaves Arbeloa with just four natural midfield options.

Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Güler are the only senior options available to Arbeloa in a central position. That depth may sound sufficient on paper, but it is not that simple for the Madrid boss, whose concerns over the balance of his squad have seen those central players used out wide as well.

Against Osasuna, Camavinga played on the left and Valverde out on the right, with Tchouaméni and Güler in central roles. With that system, there would now be no senior alternatives in the squad.

Ceballos was the preferred alternative off the bench, but with him now unavailable, Arbeloa is going to have to turn to the academy. Thiago Pitarch, 18, has been a regular in the squad recently and is likely to be joined by 19-year-old Jorge Cestero for the next few months.

It is a thoroughly unwelcome tactical issue at a time when questions are being asked about Arbeloa’s long-term suitability for his role as Madrid manager.

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The Games Dani Ceballos Could Miss for Real Madrid

Ceballos’s injury comes at a tough time. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images

Arbeloa’s tactical conundrum could see him without Ceballos for as many as 10 games, depending on Real Madrid’s progression in the Champions League.

Wednesday’s playoff second leg against Benfica will be the first watched from the sidelines by Ceballos. Madrid hold a 1–0 advantage from the first leg and will expect to be in the round of 16 next month.

Progression to that round would bring a meeting with either Manchester City or Sporting CP, with both legs coming far too soon for both Ceballos and Bellingham.

Indeed, it is only mid April, when the quarterfinals of the Champions League are held, that Ceballos would be in contention for a return.

While navigating that European gauntlet, Madrid also face no fewer than six La Liga games, including the visit of Atlético Madrid towards the end of March.

Fixture	Date
Benfica (H)	Feb. 25
Getafe (H)	March 2
Celta Vigo (A)	March 7
Champions League Ro16	March 10/11
Elche (H)	March 14
Champions League Ro16	March 17/18
Atlético Madrid (H)	March 21/22
Mallorca (A)	April 5
Champions League quarterfinals	April 7/8
Girona (H)	April 11/12

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