Zinedine Zidane summons 13 outfield players for Real Madrid’s clash with Getafe

As if Real Madrid weren’t under enough pressure from injuries, Ferland Mendy is the latest man to fall foul of a brutal season. The left back, according to Diario AS, has suffered from an overload in the soleus of his left leg, a knock that will put him out of action for ten days.

As well as missing the clash with Getafe tomorrow, he’ll also be absent for the crucial La Liga games with Cadiz and Real Betis, potentially returning for Chelsea in the Champions League.

Mendy has joined a list of injuries including Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Nacho and Lucas Vazquez, who’d become an excellent right back to replace the also-injured Dani Carvajal. Carvajal trained this morning with the group, but isn’t fit enough to make it into the matchday squad, nor is Eden Hazard. Zinedine Zidane is taking just 13 outfielders to face Getafe.

Mendy’s absence has created a crisis in defence. Zidane has selected just four defenders for the game, one of whom is the inexperienced Castilla centre-back Victor Chust. The other three are Alvaro Odriozola, Eder Militao and Marcelo. Unless there’s a creative tactical innovation, they’ll be the starting back four.

As well as the injuries, Casemiro will miss the game following his red card in El Clasico. Between them, Mendy, Varane and Casemiro have just shy of ten thousand minutes under their belt this season, and are three of Zidane’s most trusted lieutenants. They’re big losses, and that trip to the nearby Coliseum Alfonso Perez is now looking a lot trickier than it first seemed.

Tags Champions League Ferland Mendy La Liga Real Madrid Zinedine Zidane
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