Real Madrid woke up in Riyadh with bad news: Dani Carvajal is positive about Covid, which will keep him out of Sunday’s final against Athletic.
Carvajal’s situation
Real Madrid woke up in Riyadh with bad news: Dani Carvajal is positive about Covid, which will keep him out of Sunday’s final against Athletic. Leganense has been the only one on the team in this small coronavirus outbreak, but that also changes plans for Ancelotti, who is also dealing with Alaba’s doubts, whose presence has yet to be confirmed due to the muscular discomfort that separated him from Clasico. Carvajal was absent from training at Prince Faisal in Riyadh and was isolated in his room at the Carlton Hotel. Madrid is looking into what steps to take as Saudi law sets a minimum weekly quarantine for Covid cases. In any case, Madrid is preparing, waiting for the next PCR tests, which could indicate whether it is indeed a positive or a false positive, as Courtois and Valverde recently did, for a final without Carvajal. Ancelotti has options for Lucas Vazquez, the usual replacement for two starting players, or even Uruguayan Valverde, who has played the role at various times over the past two seasons. El Pajarito, by the way, trained this Friday in Riyadh with a bulky bandage on his left knee.
Praise hanging by a thread
In the white expedition, the question is what will happen to David Alaba. He was not at training this Friday and still has serious doubts about reaching the final, although the club and the coaching staff are hoping that his muscle discomfort will improve and he will be able to join training tomorrow, on Saturday. The presence of the Austrian is important due to his status in the team, as well as the fact that Madrid lacks central defenders, as well as the inconvenience of Vallejo. The Zaragoza man suffered a hamstring strain in training last Thursday and has now had to stop. Only two Classic winners, Militao and Nacho, are 100%.