Real Madrid Femenino came into the 2021-2022 season with a significant injury, as Marta Cardona suffered a meniscus injury that will take several months to heal. They also had a number of other notable absences, with Kosovare Asllani suffering from COVID-19 and all-important midfielder Maite Oroz injured.
Asllani returned to help Real Madrid see out a Champions League group stage-clinching win over Manchester City, and Oroz is now back to bolster the midfield.
But unfortunately, Asllani’s return to the XI is short-lived, as Real Madrid will lose her for an even longer period of time. She joins Cardona as the latest superstar player on Las Blancas to suffer from a serious knee injury.
According to top reporter Mayca Jimenez of AS, Kosovare Asllani tore the lateral collateral ligament in her stronger right knee. Her expected timetable for return is anywhere from two to four months, which is a significant blow to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid must make it through the UWCL group stages without Asllani and Cardona
Although Real acquired Primera Iberdrola’s top goal-scorer in Esther Gonzalez and snagged two more talented attacking players in Nahikari Garcia and Athenea del Castillo, Las Blancas will undoubtedly miss Asllani still. She is the “Queen” of the team, by nickname, and a fierce leader on the pitch. Asllani presses, passes, and, of course, scores. She is the definition of what it means to be a No. 9 at this club, and she is irreplaceable.
The injuries to Asllani and Cardona will be a real test for the newcomers to see if they can gel quickly and put goals on the board. For all their hard work, Esther is the only player to have scored in the league, as Real have gotten off to a rocky start with just one point in three matches. And that one point against Tenerife is hardly anything to get excited about.
Looking forward, the schedule remains difficult for Las Blancas. They face Real Sociedad this coming Wednesday and Athletic Club over the weekend in Primera Iberdrola. And next week, they will compete in the first group stage match of their first ever UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Hopefully, they can make it through the group stages, which is not an unreasonable expectation by any means, and Asllani and Cardona will be back by then to help Las Blancas put together a memorable first run in the knockout round.
Until then, we wish Asllani a full recovery without setbacks. Hopefully, she will be back sooner in the timeline than later.