Real Madrid were boosted by the return to training of a number of key players ahead of the first Clasico of 2023 in Sunday night’s Supercopa de Espana final against Barcelona.
Los Blancos battled through 120 minutes of a grueling semi-final against Valencia on Wednesday night to book their place in the Spanish Super Cup final on penalties.
It was an evening of success that looked to have taken its toll on Carlo Ancelotti’s injury-hit squad. Eduardo Camavinga did not feature after the break complaining of a knee problem, while Lucas Vazquez and Eder Militao were forced off in the second half with ankle and head injuries. Federico Valverde was taken off during extra time after a rough treatment by Los Che.
However, Spanish sports daily Diario AS reported that Camavinga, Militao and Valverde had returned to training by Friday. Vazquez was not part of the session after the club confirmed the versatile wide man sprained his ankle, with some reports predicting an absence of up to six weeks.
Dani Carvajal replaced Vazquez at the King Fahd International Stadium but was himself a fitness concern going into the match. Ferlando Mendy’s involvement was also uncertain before he was forced into action, but both full-backs were fit enough to train with their colleagues ahead of the upcoming Clasico.
Militao was taken off after complaining of dizziness, but the Brazilian defender was cleared of any concussion concerns by tests carried out on Thursday.
Fellow centre-back David Alaba and defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni were not in the group that flew to Saudi Arabia for the four-team tournament. Between them, the pair have only missed two La Liga games all season, but both are struggling with leg injuries.
Even without two of his first-team regulars, the recent return of several integral figures has provided Ancelotti with plenty of options ahead of Sunday’s Supercopa showpiece.
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