Real Madrid will have no left backs available for their Matchday 6 clash with undefeated Osasuna, as Ferland Mendy suffered an injury against Sevilla.
Since entering the starting lineup on Matchday 3 against Villarreal, summer signing Ferland Mendy has been a revelation at left back for Real Madrid. As Hasan Karim wrote, the left back battle between Marcelo and Mendy will be a major storyline to watch this Fall.
Unfortunately, Real won’t get to benefit from either’s presence in Wednesday’s game. Marcelo has already missed the past two contests with a neck injury he suffered against Levante, and now MARCA’s Pablo Polo reports that Mendy picked up a muscle injury at Sevilla.
Per MARCA, Mendy missed Madrid’s practice session on Tuesday morning ahead of the Wednesday night clash with Osasuna, meaning he’ll be out for the game. That leaves Real without any healthy left backs, as their injury woes continue.
Nacho Fernandez will likely have to step in at left back. While Osasuna aren’t contenders, they haven’t lost a game this season, so they are currently in the top half of La Liga. The downgrade from Mendy to Nacho at left back is a huge blow for the defense, and it could mean less rotation at center back due to the issues that could pop up without Mendy.
The former Lyon man has been incredibly impressive this season. He was a stalwart against Villarreal, one of the only players to show up for Real in their 3-0 loss to PSG, and excellent in a tough matchup on the road against Lucas Ocampos and Jesus Navas at Sevilla.
Acquitting himself well defensively, Mendy has added so much to Real’s back four and squad as a whole. Real tend to skew attacking as a side, thus Mendy’s ability to reinforce the defense’s strength has made him even more valuable than Marcelo. If he’s forced to miss more time than just the game against Osasuna, then this could be a real problem for Los Blancos.
As it stands right now, he will be missed against Osasuna on Wednesday, as Roberto Torres, Nacho Vidal, and the rest of the visitors can take advantage of Mendy’s injury.
Per WhoScored.com, Mendy has an 85.7% pass accuracy this season in La Liga with an average of 3.5 tackles per game and two interceptions per game. Those tackling and interception stats are incredible for a fullback, strengthening the notion that he is one of the world’s best defensive left backs already.