More dreadful news for Real Madrid: Arsenal return leg will see two likely miss out through injury | OneFootball

Real Madrid are still recovering from their defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals, after suffering their worst defeat of the season outside of their games against Barcelona. Los Blancos will have to overturn a three-goal deficit against the Gunners at the Santiago Bernabeu, and will likely have to do so with little more in the way of resources than they had in the first leg.

One major factor could be the return of Aurelien Tchouameni, who missed the first leg through suspension. On the other hand his replacement, Eduardo Camavinga, who started alongside Luka Modric in midfield, will miss the game through suspension after he was sent off late on in the first leg.

The news on the injury front is not much better for Carlo Ancelotti, as per Diario AS. David Alaba was moved to left-back in the first leg, but struggled to deal with Bukayo Saka, but Ferland Mendy will not return from his hamstring issues in time for next week. Meanwhile Tchouameni, in an ideal world for Real Madrid, would be partnered by Dani Ceballos. It had been hoped that he would be back in time for the first leg, but the same outlet note that it is highly unlikely that Ceballos will be back in time.

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He did part of their training session on Wednesday, but that has been the case for several days. It is noted that Ceballos was initially ruled out for six to eight weeks, and is on the verge of reaching five weeks.

It likely means that one of Alaba or Fran Garcia will be chosen in place of Mendy for the second leg, while the absence of Ceballos poses a familiar headache for Ancelotti. Fede Valverde will doubtless be a starter, but the Italian will have to choose whether he continues at right-back, opening the door for Modric in midfield, or if he returns alongside Tchouameni, which likely means Lucas Vazquez would start at right-back.