With Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg very much in their minds, Real Madrid take on Real Valladolid on Sunday hoping to gather some momentum before their trip to Catalonia.
However, they have suffered a blow just hours before the match, with Antonio Rudiger being ruled out. The German international, who was expected to start at the Santiago Bernabeu, is absent from the squad list that was released by Real Madrid.
Luckily for Real Madrid, David Alaba is back from injury, and will now likely start alongside Eder Militao in the centre of defence, with Nacho Fernandez also missing due to suspension.
It’s unknown what the issue is for Rudiger, as well as how serious it is. With El Clasico just four days away, his availability for the showdown clash has been thrown into question.
Rudiger has improved his fortunes at Real Madrid in recent weeks, having had an underwhelming start to his career in the Spanish capital since joining from Chelsea last summer.
