Real Madrid are all set to resume La Liga duties this weekend (October 2) at home to Osasuna but have been blighted by some injury concerns.
Spanish journalist Carlos Rodriguez (via Madrid Xtra) has revealed that talismanic midfielder Luka Modric will be sidelined for the next two to three games.
The Croatia international, who played for the entirety of his side’s UEFA Nations League games against Denmark and Austria, returned with a knock to the hip.
He’s certain to miss the Osasuna and Shakhtar Donetsk clashes, and could be sidelined from the Getafe encounter too.
Modric’s absence will be a huge blow to Real Madrid, although he’s expected to return before the all-important El Clasico against Barcelona.
The Croatian has contributed two goals and one assist in nine matches across all competitions this season.
Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos and Federico Valverde will likely compete to come in for him.
Another player who’s confirmed to miss out on Saturday’s clash is Lucas Vazquez. The Spaniard picked up an injury on September 11 during their league match against Mallorca.
The Spaniard subsequently missed their games against RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid. Given that he’s still training separately, things don’t look good for Vazquez.
However, in a massive boost for head coach Carlo Ancelotti, prolific striker Karim Benzema is very much in contention to face Los Rojillos.
The Frenchman was forced off with a knee injury early on in their Champions League game against Celtic earlier this month. He missed their subsequent three games.
His return to the starting lineup is massive for Real Madrid, who’re set to play nine games next month, including the El Clasico against Barcelona. Benzema will be keen to add to his tally of four goals so far this season.
Real Madrid head into a vital period of their season
Real Madrid are one of the two teams who’re still unbeaten in Europe in all competitions so far, but they are the only side with a 100% win record.
Los Blancos have won all nine of their games to make an extraordinary start to the season, but the going is set to get tough.
The reigning European champions will play nine games in October, including three in Europe.
It will be interesting to see how Carlo Ancelotti’s swashbuckling team copes with it with the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the horizon too.