Real Madrid Faces Defensive Crisis As David Alaba Suffers Another Injury

David Alaba has sustained a thigh injury, as announced by Real Madrid on Tuesday.

This adds to the team’s defensive concerns ahead of a critical stretch of matches, including the Madrid derby and a Champions League playoff against Manchester City.

The center-back had only just returned to fitness following a long-term absence with an ACL injury suffered in December 2023, featuring as a substitute in Madrid’s La Liga games with Las Palmas and Real Valladolid last month.

This news follows Antonio Rüdiger’s hamstring injury, sustained on Saturday. With Éder Militão also out long-term due to an ACL injury, coach Carlo Ancelotti is left with limited options in central defense, relying on midfielder Aurélién Tchouaméni and young talent Raúl Asencio.

“Following tests carried out on our player David Alaba by Real Madrid’s medical services, he has been diagnosed with an adductor muscle injury in his left leg,” the club said in a brief statement.

Madrid visits Leganés in a Copa del Rey quarterfinal on Wednesday before hosting Atletico Madrid in Saturday’s derby in La Liga. They then travel to City in their knockout phase playoff first leg on Feb. 11 and visit Osasuna in La Liga, before City visits the Bernabéu on Feb. 19.

The La Liga and European champions went into this season with just three senior, first-choice center-backs, Rudiger, Militao, and Alaba, following the departure of Nacho Fernandez last summer.

Alaba has only been available for selection since last month, while Militao was injured in November and is not expected to return this season.

In their absence, Ancelotti has frequently positioned Tchouaméni as a center-back, while 21-year-old Asencio has made 10 appearances in La Liga and four in the Champions League.

Club captain and right-back Dani Carvajal is another key defender who is unavailable until this summer, also with a serious knee injury.

Madrid chose not to sign a defender in the January transfer window after an early approach for Trent Alexander-Arnold was rejected by Liverpool.