Bad news for Real Madrid: coach Ancelotti lost another defender and has to improvise

The first half of the 2023/24 season has been almost perfect for Real Madrid. They managed to qualify to the Champions League round of 16 by winning all the matches they played in group C, while in La Liga they are top of the standings alongside Girona. However, they have had a serious problem that they have not yet been able to solve: injuries.

Many important players of the squad have been out of the field for a long time due to physical problems. Arda Guler was the first, with a meniscus injury for which he had to undergo surgery and two subsequent muscle injuries that have prevented him from making his debut. In addition, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior were injured while with their respective national teams and are still not recovered.

But undoubtedly the most serious cases are the anterior cruciate knee ligament injuries. Thibaut Courtois was the first to suffer it, the week before the start of the season. Just a few days later Eder Militao joined him, and last week the new victim was David Alaba.

Without Militao and Alaba, the only two centre-backs left in the squad are Antonio Rudiger and Nacho. But the latter was sent off this Thursday in the match against Alaves for a hard kick to Samu and not only left the team with 10 players, but also caused a serious problem to the coach.

What will he do?

According to Mundo Deportivo, Nacho is likely to receive a two-match suspension for the red card. That will prevent him from playing against Mallorca and Getafe in La Liga and will force Carlo Ancelotti to look for solutions. The Italian manager only has Antonio Rudiger as a centre-back, so he will have to improvise, probably with Aurélien Tchouaméni in that position.