Real Madrid have confirmed that Jude Bellingham has been omitted from their squad to face Valencia in La Liga on Saturday night.
Los Blancos return to domestic action after securing qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League on Wednesday night, beating Braga 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to earn their fourth win from four in Group C.
Bellingham was a doubt to take on Braga after dislocating his shoulder in Sunday’s frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Rayo Vallecano, He was afforded a place on the bench but did not take to the pitch.
And with hours to go before kick-off against Valencia, Real Madrid have now revealed that Bellingham will not take part due to injury.
A club statement read: “After the tests carried out today on our player Jude Bellingham, he has been diagnosed with anterior instability of his left shoulder, a consequence of his recent dislocation. Bellingham is out for today’s match against Valencia.”
In Bellingham’s absence, Carlo Ancelotti is likely to call upon Brahim Diaz in the number ten role again following his scoring exploits against Braga. The 24-year-old has scarcely featured for Real Madrid since his return from Milan over the summer due to Bellingham’s scintillating start to life in the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid are looking to close the gap on La Liga leaders Girona heading into the international break. The current table-toppers continued their fine start to the season with a 2-1 comeback win at Rayo Vallecano in the early kick-off to move four points clear of Los Blancos.
