Real Madrid are engaged in a very tight La Liga race with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, with only a few points separating the three teams at the top.
Thus, the Merengues cannot afford to lose any points as they take on Girona tonight in La Liga, especially as both the Blaugranes and the Colchoneros have already won their matches for the matchday 25.
However, in addition to the long-term absences of Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, Carlo Ancelotti will also not be able to count upon one of the most important players in his team this season, i.e., Jude Bellingham.
The English midfielder will have to miss the game tonight, and the upcoming league game against Real Betis as well, as he was shown a direct red card in the last game against Osasuna, in one of the most controversial refereeing decisions in Spain in some years.
While there is no doubt that Bellingham’s absence will be a significant blow for Real Madrid, one can still hope that the Merengues will be able to get the job done even without the Englishman, especially keeping in view the plethora of talent they have in their squad.
Furthermore, their recent record of playing without the English midfielder also provides hope to the Vikings fans that the team will not miss him too much on the field.
According to Transfermarkt, Bellingham has missed four games this season due to a muscle injury that kept him out of action from 23rd August till 15th September.
These four matches came against sides like Real Valladolid, Las Palmas, Real Betis, and Real Sociedad in La Liga. Of these four matches, Carlo Ancelotti was able to steer his side to three wins, against Valladolid (3-0), Real Betis (2-0), and Real Sociedad (0-2). The game against Las Palmas ended in a 1-1 draw.
Following this stretch on the sidelines, the Englishman missed only two more games for Real Madrid in the ensuing months up to now. One of them was the Copa del Rey tie against Deportivo Minera when Ancelotti decided to rest him. Los Blancos won this game with a 0-5 scoreline.
He also missed another game in the Copa del Rey, the quarter-final against Leganes, as Ancelotti decided not to play him in that game following a blow in the previous game. The Merengues won that match with a 3-2 scoreline and had to work hard to get a win and it was only the youngster Gonzalo Garcia who scored well into injury time to ensure his team did not have to go into extra time.
Thus, despite the undisputable quality that Bellingham brings to this Real Madrid team, the Vikings have all the reason to hope that the Englishman will not be missed in the two upcoming games in La Liga.
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