Injury-ravaged Real Madrid brace for derby showdown

Injury-hit Real Madrid brace for derby

Álvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid’s coach, announced his squad for the derby against Atlético Madrid scheduled for today, Sunday, at the Santiago Bernabéu in La Liga matchday 29.

Arbeloa's selections included the absence of Thibaut Courtois, Éder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, Rodrygo Goes, and Raúl Asensio due to injuries.

Real Madrid sit second in La Liga on 66 points, four behind leaders Barcelona.

Full squad for the derby

Goalkeepers: Lunin, Fran González, Sergio Mesti.

Defenders: Carvajal, Alaba, Trent, Álvaro Careriras, Fran García, Rudiger, Huysen, Diego Aguado.

Midfield: Jude Bellingham, Camavinga, Fede Valverde, Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, Manuel Ángel, Tiago.

Attack: Vinícius Júnior, Mbappé, Gonzalo García, Ibrahim Díaz, Massantuno.

Read also: A painful blow to a Real Madrid star before the World Cup

Punchline 1: If injuries were a footballing superstition, Madrid would be outsourcing prayers to the physio room.

Punchline 2: With this lineup, the only thing more uncertain than the result might be the manager’s post-match press conference—expect a lot of good excuses and even better banter.