Real Madrid secured a fantastic 3-0 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie, but it was not a perfect evening for Alvaro Arbeloa. He was already without the likes of Alvaro Carreras, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe for the Bernabeu clash, and another casualty has now appeared to fall.
Carreras’ absence meant that Ferland Mendy started for the second match running, but after playing 90 minutes in Friday’s victory over Celta Vigo, his body broke down in the first half of the Man City clash. He was forced off at half time, with Fran Garcia replacing him for the remaining minutes.
Arbeloa confirmed that Mendy’s injury “does not look good”, which could mean another spell on the sidelines for the luckless defender. As per Guillermo Rai, Real Madrid will put him through medical tests on Thursday to determine the extent of the issue, and whether it will be another significant lay-off.
Arbeloa facing left-back issue for upcoming Elche clash
What is certain that Mendy won’t be involved against Elche this weekend, which would leave Fran Garcia as Real Madrid’s only available left-back. Arbeloa has chosen against counting on the La Fabrica graduate on regular occasions since taking over as manager, especially when compared to predecessor Xabi Alonso.
The good news for Arbeloa is that Carreras is expected to return in time for the second leg against Man City, although he would not be fully match sharp. That will be a concern in itself, although for now, it will just be about seeing whether or not Mendy will also be able to travel to Manchester next week.
Real Madrid will know more about Mendy’s situation in the next 24-48 hours. They will be hoping that he has not suffered yet another long-term injury, and that would be a disaster – especially for him.
