Real Madrid visit Cadiz with long injury list
Football
By
Associated Press
| Nov 26, 2023
Real Madrid will travel to the southwest of Spain to play Cadiz on Sunday in their return to La Liga action.
The international break has not been kind to Carlo Ancelotti's side, with Vinicius Junior suffering a relapse of the hamstring problem he suffered at the start of the campaign.
The Brazilian is likely to be out until February after being caught by a bad challenge while playing against Colombia. And a training accident with France saw Eduardo Camavinga injure his knee, sidelining him for two months.
The duo join Eder Militao, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler (who has yet to make his debut), and goalkeepers Kepa Arrizabalaga and Thibaut Courtois on a lengthy injury list.
Rodrygo also provided a late scare after returning from Brazil with an inflamed knee, but tests back in Madrid confirmed that he should be able to travel.
The good news for Ancelotti is that Jude Bellingham has recovered from the shoulder injury that prevented him from playing for England, missing matches against Valencia and Sporting Braga before the break. Dani Ceballos is also fit after over a month on the sidelines.
With the injuries to Kepa and Courtois, Andriy Lunin will continue in goal, while Brahim Diaz should get another chance in attack. Brahim, having returned from three years on loan at AC Milan, has impressed every time he has been on the pitch.
Luka Modric and Toni Kroos will be in midfield, but Ancelotti may not risk Fede Valverde, who didn't arrive back from Uruguay until Friday.
Cadiz, struggling for form after a good start to the season, are without a win since they beat Villarreal 3-1 on September 1. Their last game before the international break, against Mallorca, was postponed due to Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi being called early for international duty.
That means Cadiz hasn't played a competitive game since November 5, and they will be without long-throw expert Luis Hernandez, Fede San Emeterio, and Rominigue Kouame through injury.