Real Madrid fans were initially excited at the prospect of having Dani Carvajal back for good after he returned from an injury on Sunday against Valencia. But Carvajal’s return to the right back position lasted fewer than 30 minutes, as he reaggravated his muscular injury and was subbed off for backup Lucas Vazquez.
According to a report from COPE’s Miguel Angel Diaz (tweet in Spanish), Dani Carvajal will miss Real Madrid’s next five La Liga matches with a right thigh injury.
Madridistas pretty much expected Carvajal to be out next weekend against Real Valladolid and then the following Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Atalanta. This is now a reported multi-month absence for the Spanish international, as Miguel Angel Diaz states that Carvajal is expected to miss at least two months.
That means Carvajal will miss both the first and second legs against Atalanta, with the second fixture set to take place on Mar. 16. In between then, Real have matches against Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid, and Elche. The La Real match and El Derbi are the two big fixtures there.
Dani Carvajal could return for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona in April
Carvajal is then expected to miss matches against Celta Vigo and Eibar into April. He will reportedly try to return for the Champions League quarterfinals and for the second Clasico of the 2020-2021 season, which will occur on Apr. 11. So in all honesty, it may be stretching it for him to return by then. Real must be careful, especially since there has already been an aggravation.
The 29-year-old fullback’s injury is just the latest long-term absence for the Royal Whites. Rodrygo Goes and Eden Hazard have been out for weeks at the forward positions, while Sergio Ramos is recovering from a knee surgery that will cost him a few more weeks.
Carvajal has been vital to Real Madrid’s success this season, when breaking down their defensive numbers with and without him. Above all else, the wins and losses do not lie. Los Blancos are undefeated when the experienced, big-game right back is in the lineup.
It looks like Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Odriozola will have to step up in Carvajal’s continued unavailability due to injury. Vazquez has been very good this season and was quietly a standout against Valencia over the weekend as his immediate replacement. Odriozola, on the other hand, has been horrible, so Madridistas must hope that Vazquez does not fall to the injury bug again. He has become the clear, preferred backup right back to Carvajal.