Just hours before Real Madrid kick off against Sevilla, the club confirmed Federico Valverde is unavailable for the clash, leaving Xabi Alonso with yet another defensive headache.
Alarm bells sounded in the Spanish capital when the Uruguay international missed training on Friday due to discomfort. Valverde faced a late fitness test for Los Blancos’ final match of the year, one he ultimately failed.
The 27-year-old was a last-minute exclusion from Alonso’s squad. The Athletic report the midfielder is nursing a knock that prevented him from even being on the bench at the Bernabéu on Saturday evening.
Valverde did not feature in Real Madrid’s 3–2 victory over Talavera in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night, but the additional rest was not enough to get the captain back to full match fitness. Alonso is now left without a single first-team right back—emergency or otherwise—for the club’s clash with Sevilla.
Real Madrid Castilla product David Jiménez got the call-up, but the 21-year-old will likely remain a bystander while Raúl Asencio gets the nod on the right flank. Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold remain in the infirmary.
Real Madrid Slowly Recovering From Nightmare Injury Crisis
Despite losing Valverde for Saturday’s all-important fixture, the Spanish giants are finally putting their injury woes behind them. David Alaba, Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga are back in the team after extended spells on the sidelines.
Dean Huijsen is also in line to start his first La Liga game in four weeks. The ex-Bournemouth standout played the full 90 minutes against Talavera and will be relieved to have Antonio Rüdiger by his side when the opening whistle sounds at the Bernabéu.
Álvaro Carreras, though, will not return until the new year; the Spaniard is serving the second game of his two-match ban for being sent off in the club’s 2–0 defeat to Celta Vigo. Fran García will start in his place.
The makeshift backline will hope to keep Real Madrid in the game long enough for Kylian Mbappé and co. to strike at the other end of the pitch. Three points for the 15-time European champions will briefly put them just one point off Barcelona, who face a tough Villarreal side on Sunday afternoon.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Handed Last-Minute Injury Blow for Sevilla Clash.