Real Madrid suffered another blow ahead of their highly anticipated Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Manchester City, a match eagerly awaited by European football fans next Tuesday evening.
The Royal Club had one foot in the next round after their resounding 3-0 victory in the first leg, a match that saw Uruguayan star Federico Valverde steal the show with a hat-trick, leading his team to a valuable win and giving them a clear advantage before the return leg.
Related topics
A new absence complicates Real Madrid’s plans
According to ESPN, young defender Raúl Asensio will not be included in the squad for the upcoming match against Manchester City, having failed to fully recover from the muscle injury that has been affecting him recently.
Reports indicate that the 23-year-old is still experiencing muscle pain, the same injury that kept him out of the last match against Elche in La Liga.
Asensio underwent medical tests during the team’s recent training sessions, but the results confirmed that his injury persists. This prompted the coaching staff, led by Álvaro Arbeloa, to exclude him from the squad to avoid aggravating his condition ahead of the crucial stage of the season.
Defensive crisis hits Real Madrid
Real Madrid is facing a clear crisis in its defense, as both Éder Militão and David Alaba remain sidelined due to injury. This further complicates matters for the coaching staff ahead of the anticipated match in England.
In this context, Mundo Deportivo revealed that coach Arbeloa is considering including youth team player Diego Aguado in the squad traveling for the second leg to address the shortage in the back line.
Aguado came on as a substitute in the recent match against Elche, which ended in a 4-1 victory for Real Madrid. He delivered a notable performance as part of a group of young players whom the coaching staff is looking to give more opportunities to in the coming period.
