Neither Liverpool nor Real Madrid are in the best of forms, considering the injury crisis. The Reds recently lost Giovanni Leoni, and now Los Blancos also face uncertainty ahead of their trip to Anfield.
Giovanni Leoni suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against Southampton in a Carabao Cup clash. The Italian defender couldn’t end his debut on a good note, as a one-year recovery period has been announced.
Liverpool signed the 18-year-old centre-back from Parma in hopes of replacing Virgil van Dijk in the long term. Unfortunately for the Reds, they will have to go shopping again in the summer to balance the scale depth-wise.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, faces similar situations as former Red, Trent Alexander-Arnold, hasn’t had the best of starts at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid injury crisis
Dani Carvajal got injured post UCL suspension (Credits: Imago Images)
Initial reports suggested an eight-week recovery period for the English right-back, but there have been some updates on following progress.
Now, TNT Sports says that Alexander-Arnold should be fit to make the trip to Anfield in November. Real Madrid face Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on the 4th of November.
Despite the Trent problem being solved, Dani Carvajal’s situation just gets worse as the defender had faced a prior suspension against Marseille.
That wasn’t the worst, as the Spanish right-back was injured in the Madrid derby on Saturday. Atlético de Madrid thrashed Los Blancos 5-2 as Diego Simeone’s men showed at the Metropolitano.
The 15-time UCL champions later released a statement regarding Carvajal’s availability, “Following tests carried out today on Dani Carvajal by Real Madrid’s medical department, the player has been diagnosed with an injury to the soleus muscle in his right leg. His progress will be monitored.”
Quiz: Can you name the team Liverpool sold these players to?
Dani Carvajal’s UEFA Champions League suspension
The injury isn’t the only problem in Carvajal’s books. The Spaniard was suspended against Marseille as he clashed with OM’s goalkeeper during the match.
He shoved his head into the keeper’s face as Gernomi Rulli went down, leading to Dani’s suspension. Now, Los Blancos face scrutiny from UEFA if the organisation deems the crime serious enough for an extended suspension.
The worst case for the Spanish outfit would be Carvajal facing an extended moratorium and Trent Alexander-Arnold not being able to make the recovery in time.
Then, the Spanish giants will have to face the Reds with no pure right-back on the squad.
