Real Madrid left-back, Marcelo, was forced to leave Sunday’s match against Real Betis in the first half with an apparent muscle injury. So, how long will the Brazilian be out of the lineup?
While many Real Madrid fans were left holding their collective breath as star defender Marcelo limped off the field early in the first half against Betis, Zinedine Zidane is confident that his star will not be out for long.
When commenting on the status of both Luka Modric and Marcelo, Zizou had this to say, “It is not so big , and as always, I have faith in the staff here, the physios and doctors. I am always positive. I do not like to see today that we have three or four players out injured, but that is what we have now. I hope they are not out too long, but we will see. I hope it is short.”
In the medical report released Tuesday by the club, the exact injury was identified and the injury is truly not as bad as many feared.
“Following tests carried out on our player Marcelo by the Sanitas Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a muscle injury in the biceps femoris of the right leg. His recovery will continue to be assessed.”
While Toni Kroos, Modric, and Marcelo are all set to miss a couple games between now and the end of the month, fans can rest easy knowing that all three are expected back in the lineup for the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain on March 6th.
Marcelo went through individual work in training Tuesday and is not expected back in full training until at least the end of the week, but likely longer.
For three crucial first-team players to all go down with injuries at relatively the same time is poor timing as Los Blancos are in the midst of a tough run of matches playing every three or four days.
However, fans can look forward to seeing a rotated squad with Theo Hernandez, Dani Ceballos, and Marco Asensio getting more minutes and likely more starts.
Next: Luka Modric sustains injury, adding to Real Madrid’s troubles
If Zinedine seemed so upbeat on his player’s status, then I will be too. All indicators from both the club and the media surrounding the team seem optimistic these three will not miss much time at all.
Let’s all hope everyone is right.