The UEFA Champions League round of 16 kicks off this midweek, with the knockout stage commencing this Tuesday with two simultaneous kick-offs. One of those matches involves record winners Real Madrid, who face RB Leipzig in the first of two tricky legs.
Unfortunately, Los Blancos have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of that highly-anticipated match. Jude Bellingham, arguably the club's player of the season, has picked up an injury and is now set to miss Tuesday's trip to the Red Bull Arena.
The Englishman started in his team's crucial La Liga showdown with Girona, their nearest rivals in the title race. The midfielder scored a brace in a convincing 4-0 victory, taking his overall tally for the Spanish giants to 20 goals across all competitions. Unfortunately, he also came away from that game with a knock.
The Spanish top-flight leaders later confirmed that the midfielder suffered a high-grade sprain in his left ankle and will be out for 2-3 weeks. This means he will miss the first leg against RB Leipzig but could return in time for the reverse fixture at Santiago Bernabeu in early March.
This is just the latest blow for Los Merengues. Despite their fantastic campaign so far, Ancelotti's side have been torn apart by injuries. Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba have all suffered ACL injuries and while the Brazilian defender could return before the end of the season, the other two are unlikely to feature again in 2023-24.
In the victory over Girona, Ancelotti was forced to start Aurélien Tchouaméni and Dani Carvajal as his center-back pairing due to the injury to Antonio Rudiger. The German ace will also miss Tuesday's UEFA Champions League fixture but, just like Bellingham, could return in time for the 2nd leg.
Nonetheless, with Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo firing on all cylinders and Eduardo Camavinga showing tremendous versatility, Ancelotti should be able to manage this latest issue until his superstar midfielder and center-back recover.
