In a matter of hours, Real Madrid will take the pitch to face off against neighbours and arch-rivals Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos have lost just two games so far this entire season, both of which have come against Diego Simeone’s men – once in La Liga and once in Copa del Rey.
The odds are once again stacked against Carlo Ancelotti’s men as they go into the contest with just one fit senior centre-back.
Indeed, Antonio Rudiger’s injury vs Getafe has left him a major doubt for the game while Eder Militao and David Alaba are already out with ACL injuries, leaving Nacho as the only fit central defender.
As such, Ancelotti is likely to be forced to start Ferland Mendy at centre-back tonight, considering that Aurelien Tchouameni is also suspended. And with Fran Garcia suffering an injury in training on Saturday, Eduardo Camavinga could end up filling in at left-back.
But things could get even more complicated for Real Madrid when they face Girona in La Liga a week later as both Mendy and Camavinga are at risk of getting suspended for that match.
Indeed, the French defender and midfielder are currently on four yellow cards in La Liga and another booking in tonight’s derby would earn them a one-match suspension, ruling them out for next week’s top-of-the-table clash against Girona.
Given the situation with injuries, Ancelotti & co. will want to avoid losing more players to suspension and as such, Mendy and Camavinga will need to be careful and cautious against Atletico Madrid tonight.