Will Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy play against Chelsea?

Real Madrid fans are hoping to have a trio of key players available against Chelsea. Fede Valverde has missed the last few games due to COVID-19, Ferland Mendy has missed a similar amount of time with an injury, and Sergio Ramos has been out since the March international break with an injury. On top of all that, center back Raphael Varane suffered a new injury this weekend against Osasuna and is out.

Varane is the latest injury blow, but it is softened by some good news regarding two of the above absences. According to COPE’s Arancha Rodriguez, both Ferland Mendy and Sergio Ramos are available for selection against Chelsea.

This report is corroborated by Goal.com’s Mario Cortegana, who writes that the defensive duo were able to complete training on Monday and will travel to Stamford Bridge.

So Ramos and Mendy should be in the squad on Wednesday night for the second leg of the Champions League semifinals, with the tie currently even at 1-1.

Ferland Mendy and Sergio Ramos will be available against Chelsea

But whether or not they actually start or play is another question entirely.

Update: Per Edu Pidal, Sergio Ramos is set to start on Wednesday night.

It sounds wild to say this, but Mendy is more important of the two. Ramos is still a world-class center back and the captain, and his presence in Champions League knockout games is very important. But against Liverpool, Real proved they can win an elimination game without him, as Nacho Fernandez and Eder Militao were absolutely incredible together.

However, Real have not shown they can win big games without Mendy. The drop-off between Mendy and Marcelo on the left side was costly in the first leg, even with a back three behind Marcelo. And now, Marcelo isn’t even available due to polling duty. So if Mendy cannot start, Nacho would play at left back, which would then pretty much force Ramos to start due to Varane’s recent injury.

Hopefully, Real Madrid will recover Mendy. It seems like he is the more likely of the two defenders to start on Wednesday night. And hopefully, Ramos will be there to join him, either in a back four, back three, or off the bench.

At the end of the day, it’s good to hear that both men were able to practice and will most likely be in the squad. Let’s see if they are ready to start.