Real Madrid are getting ready to take on Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals, but both teams are struggling with injuries. Here’s your injury update for both teams ahead of the match.
Real Madrid
Los Blancos were fortunate to have the vast majority of their squad available for selection ahead of the first leg, with just Nacho unavailable. However, Madrid experienced a bit of bad luck over the course of the match and came away with two more injuries. First, Isco experienced some discomfort in his shoulder during the first half, and had to be substituted at halftime. Second, Dani Carvajal pulled up with a muscle injury deep into the second half and also had to be taken out.
Carvajal’s injury seemed the most serious out of those. Carvajal was ruled out 2-3 weeks due to a muscle injury. Carvajal has not been training with the squad, and at best could hope to be back for an eventual final if Madrid make it through.
Nacho and Isco, on the other hand, have been training with the group. While neither player featured for last Saturday’s match against Leganés, Zidane was hoping that both might be available for selection against Bayern.
However, there are now conflicting reports circulating as to whether Isco will actually be available. Marca were initially reporting that Isco is going to try to push through the pain with injections in order to make the semifinals.
Yet, we’re now starting to see conflicting reports on Twitter that Isco felt too much pain during the team’s training session, and will now no longer be available against Bayern Munich. We’ll have to wait for the final call-up to be released in order to see whether Isco is available or not.
With both Isco and Carvajal out, the stage could be set for Gareth Bale to make an appearance in the second leg. Much has been made about Zidane’s decision to use Bale for the minor La Liga clashes rather than the Champions League. But injury could force Zidane’s hand and give Bale one last great opportunity to prove his worth to the Madrid faithful ahead of what is sure to be a busy summer transfer window.
It will also be interesting to see how Zidane approaches the issue of Carvajal’s replacement. All things being equal, Nacho would be the most likely one to step into Carvajal’s slot, as he has the most experience as a right-back and would free up Vazquez to participate in the attack. But Nacho has just recovered from injury and didn’t take part in the match against Leganes, so Zidane would be taking the risk of selecting a player who is not quite match fit.
Bayern Munich
Even with all of their injury problems at the current moment, Real Madrid’s squad is in much better shape than their Bavarian rivals. Bayern Munich are currently in a bit of an injury crisis, with a number of their key players struggling with injury.
Both Arjen Robben and Jerome Boateng had to be substituted off for Bayern in the first leg with injuries that will see them both miss out on the return leg at Madrid. Robben suffered a adductor problem, and will be out of action against Madrid. Boateng hurt his thigh, and will unfortunately miss the rest of his club’s season. Robben and Boateng join keeper Manuel Neuer on the injury list. The keeper has been out for a while, as more-than-capable backup keeper Sven Ulreich commands Bayern’s goal.
Next: Q&A with the Bavarians ahead of Real Madrid vs Bayern
Despite all this chaos, Bayern finally managed to get some good news on the injury front. David Alaba and Javi Martinez, who were both struggling with injuries, look like they’ll be available for selection against Madrid. That adds a bit of depth to Bayern’s choices in defense and midfield, a much needed break for the Bavarians who have a major hill to climb in Madrid if they want to reach the finals.