Official, Real Madrid announces what Rüdiger has and how many matches he will miss

Bad news is piling up at Real Madrid. Besides the defeat against Espanyol during the visit to the Catalan team's coliseum next weekend, Carlo Ancelotti won't be able to count on a key player: Antonio Rüdiger. The German '22' has been injured after many matches being the mainstay of the white defense.

His new start at the RCDE Stadium seemed to be going smoothly until his physical condition deteriorated. The German defender, at 32 years old, has played practically everything, dangerously approaching a cumulative total of 3,000 minutes... even though we are not even halfway through the competition year.

In any case, Antonio Rüdiger's early exit from the field in the match against Espanyol already has a verdict. The Berlin center-back, according to the official medical report published by Real Madrid, has "a right leg hamstring injury". His most affected knee is precisely that leg, due to the onset of arthritis detected at the beginning of the current football season.

That injury, at least so far, hasn't caused any problems... but it doesn't mean that other parts of his physique can't break down in the same way they did in the match against Espanyol. The official forecasts make it clear that Rüdiger's ailment is still "pending evolution".

Major setback

The unofficial predictions, however, estimate about twenty days of absence for the Madridist '22'. That period means that the tough merengue defender will be out of the match against Atlético de Madrid and the round of 16 tie against Manchester City.

Those three matches are key to defining the future of the current season at Real Madrid. Because next Saturday, February 8, the fight for the LaLiga leadership is at stake, with a difference of just one point between the eternal capital rivals.

The same goes for the matches on February 11 and 19 against the players coached by Pep Guardiola. The overload of matches on Antonio Rüdiger, a counterproductive situation created by several factors in the first team, has taken its toll on one of the most solid players in that aspect.

Now Carlo Ancelotti has an important dilemma: how to replace one of the key players in his starting eleven. The initial discussions in this regard point to a center integrated by David Alaba, freshly recovered from injury, and an Aurélien Tchouaméni whose performance in that position has sparked much criticism. Meanwhile, Raúl Asencio is still waiting for his moment sitting on the home bench at Santiago Bernabéu.