Real Madrid are in the middle of an injury crisis, and defender Dani Carvajal has joined the long list of players who are unavailable for Los Blancos.
Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Arda Guler and Vinicius Junior were all absent with injury, and Carvajal has now joined them on the sidelines with a muscle injury.
The Spain international will now miss tonight’s Champions League match against Union Berlin, but could be back in time for the Madrid derby on Sunday.
Speaking in his Champions League press conference yesterday, Carlo Ancelotti gave a positive update on Carvajal’s injury, explaining that it does not appear to be a serious one.
“Carvajal has a strain and we wanted to rest him to avoid problems,” he stated.
“We’ll test him again tomorrow. He feels good and we don’t think it’s anything serious, so hopefully he’ll be back soon.
“As things stand today, he has a chance of playing on Sunday. The player’s general condition is pretty good. Lucas Vazquez will play in place of Carvajal”.
Real Madrid’s injury crisis
Real Madrid’s squad was well stocked in midfield, but light elsewhere on the pitch prior to these injuries, and the true depth of quality will now be tested.
Ancelotti had Nacho or Vazquez to choose from to replace Carvajal and has gone with the more attacking option in Vazquez. With Nacho now the only cover for Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba at centre-back, it is imperative that he does not pick up an injury.
Los Blancos were dealt a double blow at the start of the season as Militao and Courtois both picked up long-term injuries before the campaign barely even began, but have navigated their way through these troubles so far, with maximum points in La Liga.
However, with the Champions League now beginning, the squad will be tested heavily, and more rotation will be necessary. With an important derby against Atletico Madrid coming up, Real will hope that they can beat Union Berlin without picking up any further problems within the squad.