Real Madrid duo Federico Valverde and David Alaba reportedly both picked up injuries during their side’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.
Valverde completed the full 90 minutes, operating as a right-back, while Alaba was given the nod at left-back, with the Austria international playing 80 minutes of the last-eight fixture in North London.
According to The Athletic, both players suffered knocks against the Gunners, and the pair will now be assessed to determine the extent of the damage ahead of this weekend’s La Liga clash with Alaves.
Neither issue is believed to be serious, but Valverde has had muscular fatigue problems this term, while Alaba has found it difficult to show his best level since returning from a long-term knee injury.
An incredible game in North London ended 3-0 to Arsenal, with Declan Rice scoring two spectacular free kicks for Mikel Arteta‘s side, before Mikel Merino also came up with a goal for the Premier League team.
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Valverde, Alaba ‘suffer injuries’ in Real Madrid defeat
After the clash, Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters: “It’s a tough loss. We weren’t expecting this. The team looked pretty good and well organised in the first half. Following the two set-piece goals, the team dropped off both mentally and physically.
“It was a difficult end to the game because we didn’t see the reaction we’re used to seeing from this team. The final 30 minutes were very poor. There are two assessments here: one that I was satisfied up to 0-0, and the other following the reaction to their goals, which was really poor.
“We have to do everything we can to try and recover. The chances are pretty slim but we have to try, and we’ll try and do it any way we can. Let’s see if we can pull it off. It feels as though there’s no chance after tonight, but things always change in football. Nobody expected Arsenal to score two free-kicks, but anything can happen. It’s very tough, but stranger things have happened at the Bernabeu.
“It’s hard to explain. There was no collective reaction, we were trying to do things individually. They controlled the ball better and managed the result.”
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Will Real Madrid recover any injured players for the second leg?
Real Madrid are hopeful that both Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos will be back in the squad against Arsenal for the second leg, while Aurelien Tchouameni will also return, having missed out at the Emirates Stadium due to suspension.
Eduardo Camavinga will sit the match out following his red card on Tuesday night; Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal will also again be missing, but Andriy Lunin is likely to be available for selection after a minor calf issue.
Los Blancos cannot afford to take their eye off the ball in La Liga, though, as they are second in the table, four points behind the leaders Barcelona, ahead of the next round of fixtures in Spain’s top flight.
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