Madrid: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has two injury questions on his team selection ahead of the Champions League semifinal first-leg tie away to Manchester City on Tuesday night.
Central defender David Alaba and midfielder Casemiro are both doubts for the match, although they have been included in the squad to fly to Manchester.
Alaba has a muscle contracture on his right abductor which he suffered during the win away to Osasuna, while Casemiro is looking to recover from a problem that has seen him miss several of Real Madrid’s recent matches.
Both players will undergo tests in Monday evening’s training session, although it looks as if Alaba has more options to be available than Casemiro.
The Austrian was able to carry out light work with the ball on Sunday, while Casemiro was limited to exercising in the gym, Xinhua reports. If Alaba comes back, he will slot in alongside Eder Militao in the heart of the Real Madrid defence, but if he absents, Nacho Fernandez will take cover.
Meanwhile, Eduardo Camavinga will continue to cover for Casemiro if the Brazilian is unavailable, although there is a chance that the young Frenchman could start anyhow in the Etihad Stadium after a series of impressive recent performances. Ancelotti could opt for the youngster’s impressive work rate ahead of Toni Kroos, who has been below his best in recent weeks.
Finally, left-back Ferland Mendy is set to play after overcoming the muscle injury he suffered in the last round against Chelsea.
Real Madrid travel to England knowing they will be crowned La Liga champions for this season on Saturday if they take a point from their home game against Espanyol. That is after Barcelona’s 0-1 defeat to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday which leaves Barca 15 points behind Real Madrid with just 15 points left to play for.
–IANS