Real Madrid:

Following tests carried out on our player Antonio Rüdiger, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the femoral biceps of his right leg.

Real Madrid had a dreadful evening in Barcelona on Saturday. Not only did they lose 1-0 to Espanyol, but a serious injury blow was also suffered – and given that they are facing a crucial run of fixtures in the coming weeks, it is the last thing that they needed.

Carlo Ancelotti is already without Eder Militao for the remainder of the season after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in November, while David Alaba is only just returning from a 13-month lay-off with the same injury. And now on top of this, Antonio Rudiger was forced off against Espanyol with a muscular injury.

It has now been confirmed by Real Madrid that Rudiger “has been diagnosed with an injury to the femoral biceps of his right leg”. As per Arancha Rodriguez, this hamstring injury will see him out of action at least three weeks.

If this timeline is correct, Rudiger would miss Real Madrid’s upcoming fixtures against Leganes (Copa del Rey), Atletico Madrid, Manchester City (play-off first leg) and Osasuna, while he would also be a doubt for the return match of their Champions League tie against the defending Premier League champions.

Real Madrid have four big matches coming up across three competitions in the coming weeks, and if Rudiger misses them all, it would be a massive blow. Ancelotti will hope that he can do without the German defender for the games against Leganes in the Copa del Rey quarter-final and Osasuna, but him being out against Atleti and Man City is crushing news.

Once again, Real Madrid are reduced to only three options in the centre of defence: Aurelien Tchouameni, Raul Asencio and Alaba. The Austrian defender is likely to be utilised against Man City, but given that he is still far away from being back at 100% match sharpness, it is a far from ideal situation for Los Blancos.