Triple Suspension Blow Worsens Alvaro Arbeloa’s Selection Crisis vs. Celta Vigo
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Triple Suspension Blow Worsens Alvaro Arbeloaâs Selection Crisis vs. Celta Vigo
Real Madrid must go into a must-win game without over half their strongest XI.
By Amanda Langell
2:00 PM EST
Ãlvaro Arbeloa is officially on the hot seat. / Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images
As the walls slowly close in, Real Madrid boss Ãlvaro Arbeloa must now prepare for a bout with Celta Vigo without at least eight players, including the suspended trio of Dean Huijsen, Ãlvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono.
In the span of two weeks, Los Blancos went from leading the La Liga title race to trailing bitter rivals Barcelona by four points. Injury woes, systematic issues and a lack of composure saw the 15-time European champions suffer back-to-back league defeats against Osasuna and Getafe.
Real Madrid came out the worse for wear after the latter as tensions boiled over at the Bernabéu. Both Huijsen and Carreras picked up needless bookingsâtheir fifth yellow cards of the La Liga seasonâand therefore must miss the trip to Vigo.
To make matters worse, Mastantuono was sent off in stoppage time for dissent and earned a two-game ban, leaving Arbeloa with an impossibly thin squad for a must-win game on Friday.
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Mbappe, Rodrygo and Every Real Madrid Player Out vs. Celta Vigo
Kylian Mbappé is sidelined for the foreseeable future. / Gualter Fatia/Getty Images
Losing the suspended Huijsen , Carreras and Mastantuono for the teamâs upcoming clash would be bad enough for Los Blancos. But they are also missing a slew of injured players, including the teamâs leading goalscorer Kylian Mbappé.
The Frenchman is sidelined with the same knee injury that has lingered since December, leaving a giant holeâin the shape of 38 goals this seasonâin Real Madridâs attack. Mbappé is working with the clubâs medical staff as well as French specialists to get back to the pitch as soon as possible, though there is no set recovery timeline for the superstar forward as of now.
Joining Mbappé in the infirmary is Rodrygo , who tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee in Mondayâs defeat. The Brazilian is out for the rest of the season and also the World Cup.
Long-term absentees Jude Bellingham ,Dani Ceballos and Ãder Militão are also unavailable due to injury, while Raúl Asencio and David Alaba remain doubts. Question marks also surround Eduardo Camavinga âs status after the France international missed out against Getafe due to a toothache.
A Complicated Selection Process Looms for Arbeloa
Vinicius Junior (left) will have to lead Ãlvaro Arbeloaâs attack. / Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Missing so many playersâkey ones at thatâleaves Arbeloa with the unenviable task of deploying an XI that can collect three points against Celta Vigo, a task the team could not even manage in December with Bellingham and Mbappé on the pitch.
Now, the Spanish boss has just three first-team attackers available in Vinicius Junior, Gonzalo GarcÃa and Brahim DÃaz. The trio could be Arbeloaâs frontline should he wish to convert to a 4-3-3 or Federico Valverde could get the nod on the right wing over Brahim.
If the manager opts for his favored 4-4-2, then it will likely be just Vinicius Jr and Gonzalo GarcÃa up top. Valverde, then, would return to the midfield alongside Arda Güler, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Camavingaâif he is healthy.
The real problems come in defense. Without his starting left back and possibly four center backs available, Arbeloa must improvise. Fran GarcÃa is the natural fit for the left flank, as is Trent Alexander-Arnold for the right.
Should Asencio and Alaba not recover in time, Dani Carvajal or Ferland Mendy could be forced to play at center back alongside Antonio Rüdiger. Tchouaméni is also an option, but his services are likely more needed in the midfield.
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