Real Madrid superstar 'practically ruled out' for UCL showdown against Manchester City - Reports
Real Madrid defender David Alaba is unlikely to feature in the second leg of his side's UEFA Champions League semifinal tie against Manchester City.
According to renowned Spanish journalist Miguel Angel Diaz, the Austrian suffered a a fibrillar rupture in the adductor which has ruled him out of the game. Diaz made the revelation on his verified Twitter handle, while also suggesting that Carlo Ancelotti's preferred defensive partnership could be Eder Militao and Nacho.
He wrote (translated from Spanish):
"David Alaba suffers a fibrillar rupture in the adductor. He still does not pass the grass and is practically ruled out against Manchester City. Nacho and Militao would be the central couple on Wednesday."
David Alaba sufre una rotura fibrilar en el aductor. Sigue sin pasar el césped y está prácticamente descartado contra el Manchester City.
Nacho y Militao serían la pareja de centrales el miércoles.
Real Madrid will be buoyed going into the game, having wrapped up proceedings in La Liga with a comfortable 4-0 home win over RCD Espanyol.
Los Blancos needed a point against Espanyol to guarantee a 35th league crown. Ancelotti named a heavily-rotated side, resting some of his key players, with one eye on the continent.
Rodrygo set the ball rolling with a first-half brace, while Marco Asensio made sure of the victory in the 54th minute. Karim Benzema got off the bench to wrap up proceedings with his 26th league goal of the season to secure the title with four matches still to go.
Manchester City, for their part, also kept their hopes of retaining the Premier League title alive with a 4-0 away thrashing of Leeds United on Saturday.
Four different men got on the scorsheet for Pep Guardiola's side to help them reclaim their one-point advantage at the summit of the standings.
Real Madrid will turn their attention to the continent after getting the job done domestically
Real Madrid have not been at their best this season but have been clinical enough to wrap up proceedings in the league with four matches to spare. This says a lot about the drop-off in the quality of their rivals as much as it has to do with Los Blancos' brilliance and professionalism.
Having wrapped up a 35th league crown, the Spanish heavyweights will be looking to win a record-extending 14th UEFA Champions League title.
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Real Madrid have not triumphed on the continent since 2018, which is a long time considering how successful they have been in the competition. Their opponents Manchester City, on the other hand, are relative upstarts on the continent and are still trying to establish their standing in the European hierarchy.
City also still have Premier League action to worry about, as they are currently embroiled in a thrilling title race with Liverpool that is set to go down to the wire.
For the next two days, though, their attention will be fully focused on Wednesday's blockbuster second-leg clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.