Spain’s Real Madrid are going through an absence crisis ahead of meeting Egypt’s Al Ahli on Wednesday in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup in Morocco until 11 February. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is having a crisis in starting line-up selection for tonight’s match due to the absence of several outstanding players due to injuries.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, striker Karim Benzema and defending trio Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and Lucas Vazquez are absent from the team’s trip to Morocco, but Courtois, Benzema and Militao could play if Real Madrid reach the final next Saturday.
Vazquez and Mendy will be out for several matches as they need a longer recovery period, while Benzema and Militao, who are out with two leg injuries, will not be out.
Medical examinations confirmed that Courtois, who suffered a hip injury during warm-ups before the match against Mallorca, which ended in a sudden 1-0 defeat, suffered a minor injury.
Courtois, Benzema and Militao will remain in Madrid for treatment but are expected to join the team in Rabat later this week if they complete their treatment program as planned.
Despite injuries and a busy schedule in the coming weeks as Real Madrid take on Liverpool in the Champions League and Barcelona in the Copa del Rey in addition to league matches, Ancelotti said his side will be in contention for all championships.
However, the Italian called on the responsible authorities to study the schedule of matches in the future in the interests of the players.
The Italian coach said: “We will not miss a single championship. We are at a very advanced stage. In the semi-finals of the King’s Cup of Spain and the sixteenth round of the Champions League and before the final of the Club World Cup.
And he continued: “We don’t even want to lose a single match … (but) this schedule is difficult and does not stop. The Spanish league wants its share, and the International Federation (FIFA) wants its share, and the European Union (UEFA) too, and with them the Spanish Federation… They won’t let us rest.
