Real Madrid News Roundup: Injury updates ahead of Athletic Club clash, ex-Blancos ace says club 'dream' of move for 21-year-old superstar, and more - 13th December 2020
Real Madrid were said to be a club in crisis not longer than a week ago, but they have banished all such doubts with a string of superb results. The Blancos faced the possibility of a group-stage elimination from the UEFA Champions League and were stuttering in LaLiga Santander as well.
However, with wins against Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach, and most recently against Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid turned their fortunes around and managed to get back to winning ways. Ahead of another important game against Athletic Club, here, we take a look at the latest Real Madrid news.
Dani Carvajal reflects on Real Madrid's difficult week
Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal revealed that the Blancos are determined to keep up this momentum into the next phase of the season. After a relatively poor start, Real Madrid registered three crucial wins within a span of a week to get their season back on track. Speaking after their win against Atleti, Carvajal expressed;
"We got another win in what’s been a very tough week. We beat Sevilla on the road, won that ‘Final’ we had against Gladbach and now Atletico, who were in great form. Nine points out of nine but this doesn’t stop here. Now we have another game against Athletic on Tuesday and we can only score points there."
Addressing Real Madrid's lack of consistency this season, the Spanish full-back remarked;
"It’s true that this one has been an odd season so far, without a pre-season and with many injuries. We could never be all available at the same time and I think that as games go by, people reach good form and we are all reaching our best level."
Carvajal marked his return to the first XI against Los Rojiblancos with a majestic strike from outside the box, and despite it ultimately going down as an own-goal from Jan Oblak, it was a moment of sheer brilliance from the 28-year-old.
Injury updates ahead of Athletic clash
Real Madrid have been hit with a host of severe injuries over the course of the season already, and despite there still being a few notable absentees, Zinedine Zidane is surely happier now than he was a while ago in terms of their injury list. The returns of key players such as Sergio Ramos, Dani Carvajal, and Fede Valverde are all huge boosts to Real Madrid, who have suffered in the absence of their experienced players.
That being said, the Blancos still have a few worrying absentees. Eden Hazard has picked up another injury and is set to miss the remainder of the calendar year. Luka Jovic, having recently recovered from COVID-19, is also expected to miss the game against Athletic with what is understood to be an adductor injury.
Elsewhere, both Martin Odegaard and Mariano Diaz could potentially return to the squad, although there has been no official word on the pair. Carvajal has already made his return to the starting XI and Valverde also got a few minutes in Real Madrid's win against Atleti upon his return from injury.
Karembeu discusses 'dream' move for Kylian Mbappe
Christian Karembeu believes that Real Madrid dream of landing Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has long been considered one of Real Madrid's priority targets and his future is up in the air as he enters the final 18 months of his contract in Paris.
Speaking on Mbappe's potential move to Spain, the former Real Madrid defensive midfielder said;
"It's a dream but we have to wait. The [Real] Madrid fans have been waiting for Kylian [Mbappe] for a year or two. He hasn't come yet. It's the same thing for Paul Pogba. Today, Kylian has to decide his objectives and his plans, if he wants to go to Real Madrid or stay at Paris. The 'Casa Blanca' is eternal. Players can come and go, but Real is immortal."
Karembeu spent three years at Real Madrid and was a key figure in their seventh UCL title win in 1998.
Also read: Manchester clubs set to battle Blancos for 20-year-old superstar, club plotting move for Premier League ace, and more