Real Madrid are suffering a major injury crisis, and Carlo Ancelotti has been dealt a further blow as he looks to maintain their 100% record against Napoli in the Champions League. After suffering a thigh strain against Cadiz on Sunday evening, Croatian veteran Luka Modric will miss their date with the Scudetto holders.
The 38-year-old came off against Cadiz with just over 20 minutes remaining, a cruel blow for Modric having been deprived of the opportunities he has been used to of late. As per Diario AS, Los Blancos have decided not to risk his fitness against Napoli, and will evaluate him on a daily basis until they face Granada on Saturday.
Positive news is that Brahim Diaz has recovered from his intestinal issue which prevented him from playing against Cadiz, and saw him miss training on Monday. He trained as normal on Tuesday, and will be fit to face Napoli by all accounts.
With Modric missing, his absence combined with those of Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni make Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde certain starters against the Partenopei, while Dani Ceballos has a good chance of earning some minutes too. He has just recovered from injury, but otherwise Ancelotti will have to make major tweaks to his setup.
After ensuring qualification and having at least 90% chance to be top seeded, I see no reason for risking anything and some minutes under the belt will be good for both Ceballos and Brahim. Particularly the latter has deserved it, I liked the football with him on pitch and he can play mid and lateral positions too.