One of the big stories ahead of the Madrid derby on Sunday surrounds Antonio Rudiger’s possible availability for the match. The German defender suffered a thigh injury during the victory over Getafe on Thursday, and he missed training with his teammates on Saturday morning.
As a result, Rudiger has been placed as a major doubt to face Atletico Madrid, and if he were to miss the match, it would be a major blow for Los Blancos, as he has been in excellent form this season.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke on the matter (via Marca) during his pre-match press conference. He revealed that Rudiger has got better over the last 24 hours, and that he will be included in the matchday squad.
“He’s improved a lot. Tomorrow, we will decide whether he plays. He will be on the (matchday squad) list.”
Ancelotti also confirmed his options to replace Rudiger, in the event that he does miss the match. Aurelien Tchouameni would usually be the replacement, but he is suspended after picking up a fifth yellow card of the La Liga season against Getafe.
“There is a third option after Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy, which is Eduardo Camavinga. All three of them give me confidence.”
The expectation is that Carvajal will line up alongside Nacho Fernandez if Rudiger is absent, and while the 32-year-old is an excellent player, it would be far from ideal for Real Madrid to play him out of position, especially against a quality side such as Atleti.
