Do you want the good news or the bad news first, Real Madrid fans? We’ll go with the bad- Jude Bellingham, the £113m man who has been the La Liga MVP thus far, left training early today, due to stomach discomfort.
While this makes him a doubt for Sunday’s Madrid derby, the club’s physios still believe he will still feature on Sunday, given that he trained with no issue on Thursday.
El Derbi Madrileño FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Sept. 24, 8pm, Civitas Metropolitan Stadium, Madrid, Spain
Starting XI Predictions: Real Madrid Atletico Madrid
Team News: Real Madrid Atletico Madrid
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
La Liga Position, Form: Real Madrid 1st, 15 pts, WWWWW Atletico Madrid 7th, 7 pts, LWDW
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid 37% Draw 28% Atletico Madrid 35%
Of course, “stomach discomfort” can mean a lot of things. Bellingham, who has adapted better and faster than even the most optimistic of Madristas could have envisioned, has been a huge part of the side’s 100% perfect start to the 2023-24 campaign.
The same can be said for Dani Carvajal, who trained both inside the facilities and on the pitch today. He could be in contention to play this weekend. In his most Ancelotti will no doubt be desperate to have him for their trip across the city to face Atletico Madrid.
“He has a strain, and tomorrow he will have tests. We preferred to give him a rest, the player is fine and we think it is not going to be something serious.”
“He still has a chance to play on Sunday, the feelings of the player are quite good. But tests tomorrow.”
So that’s some of the good news, and here comes even more, better news! Two long-term injury absentees, Vinicius Jr and Arda Güler (recovering from meniscus surgery) spent part of today’s training session with the whole group, so they are on the mend. Neither will feature this weekend, but it sounds like Vini is way ahead of his rehabilitation schedule.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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