Real Madrid are in the middle of a terrible run of form at this point of time. The last game that they won by a convincing margin was the victory over Celtic in the Champions League in early November. And fresh off of their defeat at the hands of Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final, the upcoming Copa del Rey Round of 16 game is now even more important for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
One thing that has not helped them in recent weeks is their extensive injury list. Players like Aurelien Tchouameni, David Alaba and Lucas Vazquez are expected to be out for a while. And now, it appears that they have been handed another fitness problem, albeit a short-term one.
As reported by Relevo, Dani Carvajal is almost ruled out against Villarreal. The right-back has muscle discomfort and the goal is to recover for San Mames on Sunday.
With Vazquez already out as well, the injury means that both Real Madrid’s first-choice right-back and his back up option are set to miss the important game against Villarreal. It goes without saying that that is not ideal.
Real Madrid suffer another injury blow for Villarreal game
It is safe to say that Real Madrid will be nowhere near full strength when they take on Villarreal in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey.
Los Blancos had already lost at the hands of the Yellow Submarine before heading to the Spanish Super Cup and things could be even more difficult this time around, with so many players out injured and the team looking very sluggish in recent weeks.
When it comes to fixing the gap at right-back, if Carvajal does end up missing out, one would expect Ancelotti to opt for either Eder Militao or Nacho Fernandez, although it might be time to bring Vinicius Tobias up to the first-team as well.