Rudiger to MISS Atletico, Man City showdowns with muscle injury

Bad news for Real Madrid. Antonio Rüdiger is injured and will miss, at least, the derby against Atletico Madrid and the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 play-off against Manchester City.

The German was injured on Saturday in the match against Espanyol. On Sunday morning, the club confirmed that he has an injury in the femoral biceps of his right leg.

'COPE' assures that the injury will keep Antonio Rüdiger sidelined for 20 days. If the deadlines are met, he would miss the entire tie against Manchester City, although he could force to try to get to the second leg.

It is a major problem for a Real Madrid team that is weak in defense. The fact is that none of the first-team central defenders are 100% fit. Militao has been injured all year, Alaba is slowly coming back, Rüdiger has just been out and Vallejo is not considered.

Thus, Carlo Ancelotti's center-back pairing, at least for the time being, will be formed by Raúl Asencio, who came up from the reserve team and is giving an excellent performance, and Aurélien Tchouaméni. 

 

February 2, 2025