England international Jude Bellingham had to be substituted in Real Madrid's LaLiga win over Girona last weekend.
In-form midfielder Jude Bellingham will start Real Madrid's crucial Champions League clash with Atalanta today, despite Los Blancos leaving the weekend win over Girona with an apparent leg injury.
Bellingham “100% fit” despite withdrawal from Girona
Bellingham had to be substituted an hour into LaLiga's 3-0 win over Montilivi, but Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti was quick to allay fears over the Englishman's fitness, telling reporters after the match: “He's fine, he was tired in his legs.” – I didn't want to risk it. He'll be fine.'
And during his press conference ahead of Madrid's match against Atalanta, Ancelotti added on Monday: “Bellingham is doing well, he is 100% fit.”
Can Bellingham end UCL goal drought?
The former Borussia Dortmund star goes into today's match in Bergamo on a fine run of goals, having scored in each of his last five LaLiga appearances. However, he has not scored in the Champions League since November 2023, and the European champions face Atalanta in a precarious position in the new competitive phase of the competition.
Vini back fit as Madrid's UCL turnaround looked
After back-to-back defeats to AC Milan and Liverpool, Madrid are in 24th place in the Champions League's 36-team rankings, with the bottom 12 players eliminated. The Champions League holders have not exited Europe's elite club tournament at the first hurdle since Chelsea in 2012/13.
Madrid are expected to welcome forward Vinícius Júnior back into their squad against Atalanta after being without the Brazilian for the past four games due to a hamstring injury. It is expected that Vinícius' compatriot, Rodrygo Goes, will also be fit after the victory in Girona with a muscle problem.
However, Los Merengues will have to do without the injured Frenchmen Ferland Mendy (quadriceps) and Eduardo Camavinga (hamstring), as well as long-term victims David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Éder Militao (all ACL).
Atalanta vs Real Madrid: start time, how to watch
Atalanta will host Real Madrid at Gewiss Stadium on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, with kick-off in Bergamo scheduled for 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT. Viewers in the US can watch the game on TUDN USA, UniMás, Paramount+ and ViX. You can also stream the action on the online platform fubo, which offers a free trial.
You also have the option to follow AS USA's live text coverage of the match on matchday six.
Comments