Real Madrid host Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday (March 11th). The bad news is that Alvaro Arbeloa is set to be without seven key first-team players for the encounter with Pep Guardiola's Cityzens.
Los Blancos head into the game as underdogs, having suffered a 2-1 defeat to City during the competition's league phase. Kylian Mbappe remained on the bench during that game due to an injury.
Mbappe is currently sidelined with a knee sprain and isn't expected to be in action at the Santiago Bernabeu midweek. His knee problem has been a massive concern and he reportedly doesn't want to risk his fitness ahead of the World Cup with France this summer.
Real Madrid's injury crisis
Mbappe (knee) is just one of seven men who won't face City and two of them would have given Arbeloa more confidence in attack. Jude Bellingham (hamstring) has been recovering since early February and he's a doubt for the second leg.
Rodrygo (ACL) won't play again this season nor at the World Cup due his cruciate ligament injury. The Brazilian is joined on the sidelines by defender Eder Militao (muscle) who last appeared for Madrid in a 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo in early December.
David Alaba (calf) is again facing time in the medical room and might have played his last game for the club. The Austrian is set to leave when his contract expires in June.
Dani Ceballos (also calf) could also be heading out of the Spanish capital in the summer and he's lacked game time this season. The latest injury blow for Arbeloa is Alvaro Carreras (also calf) and the club confirmed his injury on Monday (March 9th).
Antonio Rudiger should be fit
Madrid's injury crisis means Arbeloa will be eager to have experienced heads to call upon. One of those is Antonio Rudiger who has endured an injury-plagued season and often played through the pain barrier.
Rudiger played the full 90 minutes of a 2-1 win over Celta on Friday but there were concerns over his fitness. The latest is that he trained indoors but was likely to return to full team training today.
The 33-year-old knows all about handling the pressure of high-profile European nights such as battles with Guardiola's City. His availability could be crucial for Arbeloa who will be without several of his most important stars on Wednesday.