Real Madrid have their first league game at the Santiago Bernabeu this Sunday evening in what is sure to be Mbappé’s first appearance at the stadium.
A packed stadium is expected especially with fans who are anxious to see their new star perform. However, the 20 years old English midfielder Jude Bellingham may not be on the pitch but rather watching from the stands.
Injury Concerns for Jude Bellingham
Bellingham did not finish Real Madrid’s penultimate training session ahead of their match against Real Valladolid, which caused doubts about his participation.
In a post-match interview, manager Carlo Ancelotti stated that Bellingham had a problem and the team’s medical personnel were working on it.
A club statement said: “Following tests carried out today on our player Jude Bellingham, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the plantar thin muscle of his right leg.”
Fuentes del club informan de que el golpe de Jude Bellingham no parece serio.
Veremos si entra finalmente en la convocatoria para el partido del domingo contra el Real Valladolid. @TheAthleticFC
— Guillermo Rai (@GuillermoRai_) August 23, 2024
Despite the information from The Athletic which indicates that the injury is not serious, there are speculations that Ancelotti may decide to leave out Bellingham as a substitute.
Tactical Adjustments for Ancelotti
The English man who is one of the Top 10 highest players in the LaLiga as reported by Sportsbuddy, might force Ancelotti to make changes to the team’s formation.
In their previous match against RCD Mallorca, the role of Bellingham was found to be involved in what was termed as the ‘unbalancing’ role of the team.
Thus, after an injury to one of his attacking midfielders, Ancelotti might switch to a formation with fewer attacking midfielders, which could offer a more balanced approach against Real Valladolid.
