Real Madrid continued preparations for their top of the table clash with Girona on Saturday without a recognised central defender, which will no doubt concern Carlo Ancelotti. However the picture is perhaps not as grim as it seems.
Nacho Fernandez is the latest casualty, as he missed training with a muscle overload. Working out in the gym instead, Diario AS say that he is a doubt for the Girona match. He was also joined by Vinicius Junior, who left quickly after a swift workout, seemingly showing no improvement from his spinal injury that kept him out against Atletico Madrid.
🇩🇪 A día de hoy, en el Real Madrid hay optimismo con Rüdiger de cara al sábado.
— Sergio Quirante (@SQuirante) February 7, 2024
There is little news on his potential return, but there is optimism about Antonio Rudiger. The German defender missed the Atletico draw due to a bruised thigh, but trained individually on the grass, and seems likely to play against the Catalan side.
He will also have a more natural partner than Dani Carvajal for that match, if he recovers, as Aurelien Tchouameni will be back from suspension. Ancelotti has used him in central defence on several occasions to varying effect. For the derby clash, Ancelotti did not call up any Castilla players to cover their absences, but on paper and form, a partnership of Rudiger and Tchouameni looks much stronger in the middle than Nacho and Carvajal right now.
