Real Madrid’s team has suffered another injury ahead of their upcoming Champions League match against Manchester City next week. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s team finished 22nd in the Champions League group phase standings, narrowly advancing to the next round where they will face a two-legged play-off due to the competition’s updated format. However, due to the updated competition regulations, the play-off will be against the reigning champions, Real Madrid. The team with 15 titles most recently claimed the trophy at Wembley Stadium last year, defeating Man City in the quarter-finals while they were the defending champions. Indeed, the Spaniards have eliminated them in two out of the last three seasons. Most recently, Los Blancos have lost central defender Antonio Rudiger due to a thigh injury, which will keep him out of both matches against Man City. According to Marca, their coach announced that another defender, David Alaba, is also sidelined. Ahead of Madrid’s Copa del Rey match against Leganes on Wednesday, Ancelotti stated, “Regrettably, we have lost two crucial players, which was not something we anticipated.” Alaba was set to play against Leganes tomorrow, but an unforeseen event has occurred. We are facing a critical situation that we must withstand. “We will make do with what we possess.” A journalist asked if midfielder Federico Valverde could fill in as a defender, and Ancelotti responded: “No, not as a center-back.”
