Carlo Ancelotti Has Confirmed That A Real Madrid Player Has Sustained An Injury Ahead Of Their Clash With Manchester City
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has disclosed that Rodrygo was sidelined for Saturday’s La Liga match against Mallorca due to “a knock” he picked up during training before the game.
There were concerns about his availability for the match when he missed Friday’s training session, but the Brazilian forward was still named in the squad.
However, Rodrygo remained on the bench throughout the match, with Ancelotti later confirming that he was dealing with “a knock”.
His condition will be evaluated further to determine his availability for Tuesday’s crucial Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City.
In the absence of Rodrygo, Lucas Vazquez, Luka Modric, Brahim Diaz, and Joselu were included in the starting lineup for the Mallorca game, following their 3-3 draw with the Premier League champions in the first leg of the European Cup quarter-finals last week.
Rodrygo’s fitness will need to be evaluated ahead of the trip to Manchester City. However, there were starting positions for Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham, who are all expected to feature in Tuesday’s match.
“I think we performed well. I didn’t rotate the squad due to physical reasons. Everyone was fit. Only Rodrygo, who had a knock,” Ancelotti informed reporters during his post-match press conference.
Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Carvajal, and Eder Militao were all substitutes, while Toni Kroos remained unused on the bench as he was given a rest.
Ancelotti expressed his desire to give more playing time to Militao, who was only brought on in the closing stages of the match.
With Aurelien Tchouameni suspended for the upcoming clash against Manchester City, Militao’s limited minutes since returning from an ACL injury suggest that it may be challenging for him to start at the Etihad Stadium.
Militao was introduced late in the game against Mallorca, with Ancelotti expressing his intention to provide him with more playing time. “I wanted to give him (Militao) more minutes in the second half, but the match was at a critical point. We brought him on towards the end to bolster our aerial presence,” Ancelotti explained.
Real Madrid extended their lead at the top of the La Liga table to 11 points with their victory over Mallorca. However, Barcelona reduced the gap to eight points later in the day by defeating Cadiz 1-0.
Regarding the match against Mallorca, Ancelotti remarked, “The game unfolded as we anticipated. Mallorca always demonstrates great commitment. We struggled in the first half, playing too slowly, but we improved significantly in the second half. Securing this crucial victory brings us closer to the title. We are on a good run of form, and now we focus on Wednesday’s match. We have sufficient time to recover.”
He praised his team’s consistency, stating, “The team has displayed remarkable solidity and consistency. Although we haven’t always played exceptionally well, we have consistently competed. This is our strength. Many talk about the quality of our squad, which is undoubtedly high, but maintaining commitment becomes increasingly challenging with higher quality. Nonetheless, we continue to strive for it.”
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