Xabi is confronted with the Austrian test with only three first team midfielders healthy after the absence of Bellingham, Camavinga and Valverde.
Real Madrid travels to Austria with a light tax in midfield. The injury of Eduardo Camavinga on Sunday was exacerbated yesterday by a muscle tension that was suffered by Fede Valverde, which was put aside, but is almost certainly available for the debut of the Whites' League, next Tuesday against Osasuna.
The muscle injury in the right leg of the number 8 and the sprain of Camavinga, which can also influence the competition opener, leaves only three first team midfielders available for this afternoon's match in Tyrol. They are Tchouaméni, Güler and Ceballos. The first two were important in the World Cup club (the Frenchman was also used as a center, and the Turk received the keys to the midfield in the United States), while the third, just like every summer, experiences an uncertain future, where Betis is always willing to send him home but not so willing to pay for it. The list of midfielders at Xabi's call-up is completed by Thiago Pitarch and Roberto Martín, where the first makes a strong entrance after scoring Leganés in the first warm-up match of the whites, that Phantom Duel in Valdebebas whose result is hardly known, a clear 4-1 for the home side.
In addition to Fede and Eduardo, Jude Bellingham continues to recover in Valdebebas. After the club's World Cup and a few days of rest, he finally underwent an operation to try to overcome a shoulder injury that he has been wearing as a real Madrid player since almost the start of his career. The problem, for which he had to play with cumbersome protection, did not prevent him from being the best player of Madrid in the 2023-24 season, which led the team to five titles. Last season, however, the inconvenience of the Englishman increased. He finally agreed to an operation, an option that the club doctors had long considered.
The point is that this is how Madrid is approaching the last match of the shortest preseason in its history, with only three weeks of preparation because of the participation in the club World Cup and the refusal of Laliga to postpone the match against Osasuna, something the Navarrese club itself was in accordance with. And because of the secret that it is friendly to Lega around it, it will be the first and only time that the developments of what is a new Real Madrid according to Xabi Alonso is clearly visible. The Real Madrid coach regards the Club World Cup as part of last season's campaign. The lack of time between his official appointment and the debut of Real Madrid left little room for preparation outside of some basic concepts. Without a doubt, the most striking detail was the use of a three-man defense during a few phases of the five matches of Madrid in the US, and the positive insights that Huijsen (especially) and Alexander-Arnold, the two new faces of the team in the NASH season. Álvaro Carreras made his debut against Leganés, and he will have the opportunity to confirm his alternative in Austria, in one of the positions, who can offer the most potential during the season, with Fran García and Ferland Mendy who also applied for the same position.