Real Madrid suffer massive injury blow as UCL final against Borussia Dortmund edges closer: Reports
Real Madrid are allegedly set to be without holding midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund on June 1.
Tchouameni, 24, sustained a foot injury in his side's 2-1 Champions League semi-final second leg win against Bayern Munich on May 8. Since then, he has missed Los Merengues' last three La Liga matches.
Now, according to MARCA, Tchouameni is unlikely to recover from his injury issue in time for the much-anticipated European summit clash. He has seen a number of specialists in the United States over the past few days, but he is expected to be fit at the start of June.
Should the Frenchman fail to be fit for the match against Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid would be considerably weakened. They are unbeaten with the midfielder in their starting line-up in the 2023-24 campaign.
Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti is likely to hand either Toni Kroos or Eduardo Camavinga in the number six role in his 4-1-2-1-2 formation against BVB. He could also change his setup to play a double pivot.
Tchouameni, meanwhile, has been in excellent form for his team, helping them win the La Liga title and the Supercopa de Espana trophy this season. He has bagged three goals in 38 overall appearances so far.
Real Madrid star backed to win Ballon d'Or
In his column for Caught Offside, ex-Liverpool striker Stan Collymore claimed that Real Madrid summer signing Jude Bellingham should win the Ballon d'Or award in 2024. He wrote:
"Every week he's been playing against the best in the world and for a relative top-flight rookie to walk into that club with such confidence from day one is quite extraordinary. We've started to see him get forward that little bit more and score important goals, and he's been the conduit for the rest of his teammates."
Collymore, who scored 35 goals in 81 matches for the Reds, added:
"He's not the finished article but show me another player who's had a bigger impact on their club in terms of making them a consistent threat. You can't find one. So, it absolutely makes sense for him to be Ballon d'Or, and to do it at a club that can swallow you up and spit you out... I don't think anybody else comes close."
Since arriving in a €134 million move from Borussia Dortmund, the 20-year-old has recorded 23 goals and 12 assists in 40 games this term.
Bellingham will next be in action for Real Madrid in their final La Liga clash against Real Betis at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday (May 25).