Monday, February 10, 2025
HomeFootballRüdiger will be out for several weeks – time for Alaba to...

Rüdiger will be out for several weeks – time for Alaba to shine?

Antonio Rüdiger had to leave the game at Espanyol Barcelona (0:1) after just 15 minutes. Real Madrid have since announced the diagnosis.

Rüdiger was injured through no fault of his own and remained on the ground. The 31-year-old had been struggling with problems in his left knee anyway, as a bandage proved. But in Barcelona, it was his right thigh that put the central defender out of action. The Whites wrote in an official statement of a “biceps femoris injury”, but Real did not disclose an exact recovery time.

According to Spanish media, however, Rüdiger will be out for two to three weeks. For the Madrilenians, this is an extremely inconvenient period, as there are a lot of crucial games on the program. The cup game at CD Leganes next Wednesday and the Derbi madrileno on Saturday against Atletico Madrid will take place without Rüdiger, as will the first leg of the Champions League play-off against Manchester City on February 11. There is at least hope for the return leg at the Bernabeu eight days later.

But the injury should not really come as a surprise. Rüdiger has been under constant pressure for a year and a half, and coach Carlo Ancelotti can hardly do without him. Eder Militao is finally suffering from the consequences of his second cruciate ligament rupture within 15 months and will no longer be available this season. Dani Carvajal, who can play in the center of defense, is also missing with a cruciate ligament rupture.

And David Alaba? After more than a year out with injuries, the 32-year-old is apparently still unable to play a game from the start, even though Ancelotti has often promised him a place in the starting eleven. The Austrian is “very close to playing from the start,” said the Real coach after the 5-1 win against Salzburg in the Champions League.

However, Alaba has only been substituted four times since his comeback, and he has not been on the pitch for more than half an hour. Not even for Espanyol: Ancelotti preferred to bring on youngster Raul Asencio, Alaba did not play at all.

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular

Recent Comments