Real Madrid‘s injury list continues to grow. Los Blancos already have seven players out injured currently, including star names Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois, Vinicius Junior and Aurelien Tchouameni, but are looking at another setback, after Dani Carvajal has been ruled out with a calf problem.
The 31-year-old has stepped his game up this season, becoming one of the star performers for Carlo Ancelotti in a constantly understrength team. His outlet on the right flanks has been important for them to maintain a dangerous attack, while his defensive efforts have been reminiscent of his best.
Yet the injury that forced him off at half-time in their 2-0 win over Granada means that he will be out for over a month, according to Diario AS, although others claim it could be as few as three weeks in the best-case scenario. In the event of the former, Carvajal would miss six games against Real Betis, Union Berlin, Villarreal, Alaves, Real Mallorca and their Copa del Rey tie scheduled for early January. The idea is to ensure that he can return for the Supercup action in Saudi Arabia, which kicks off against Atletico Madrid on the 10th of January, but could also see a meeting with Osasuna or Barcelona if they make to the final.
In his absence, Lucas Vazquez is most likely to occupy the right-back spot, as the case against Los Nazaries, although Carlo Ancelotti may consider Nacho Fernandez there for tougher games defensively. As happened last year, Real Madrid’s path to success will run through dealing with a spate of absences.