Luka Modric is injured and could miss the Cup final and the Champions League first leg

MADRID, 28 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Real Madrid will be without Croatian midfielder Luka Modric due to injury for this Saturday's match against UD Almería at the Santiago Bernabéu, a physical problem that could keep him from the Copa del Rey final on May 6 and the first leg of the Champions League semifinals against English Manchester City.

The Real Madrid player has not trained with the group these last two days and the club confirmed this Friday that "he has been diagnosed with an injury to the posterior aspect of the thigh of his left leg", which occurred last Tuesday against Girona, where he only played the final half hour.

The club, as usual, did not make any progress on its period of leave, although everything indicates that, at least, it will not be against the Almeria team or against Real Sociedad next Tuesday, with a high risk of missing the duel for the title cupbearer against Osasuna and also the European first leg against the Premier League champion on May 9.

"Luka had a small injury in the game with Girona and is out and is awaiting progress. I don't know if he can reach the final of the Copa del Rey, we have to see him and evaluate him in the coming days," Ancelotti said in Press conference.

The Madrid coach acknowledged that they are "hurt" by the loss of the player from Zadar, but also recalled that it is something that "can happen in football." "Hopefully he can recover soon and have him in the important games that we have left of the season," he said.

In addition, he admitted that, "due to characteristics", the most suitable person to replace Modric is Dani Ceballos, and he took the iron out of this casualty. "We have different resources and very good means to replace Modric, who is a very important player. What cannot be replaced is his experience in this type of match, but I am not complaining because I have very high-level means and we will replace him well" , stressed the Italian.

The loss of the Croatian for this Saturday's duel against Almería adds to those already known of Ferland Mendy and David Alaba. Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard do return to the list against the Andalusians, already recovered from their physical problems that prevented them from being in Montilivi, a game that the suspended Dani Ceballos also missed, who is once again available for Ancelotti.

Thus, the call is made up of goalkeepers Courtois, Lunin and Luis López; defenders Carvajal, Militao, Vallejo, Nacho, Odriozola, Lucas Vázquez and Rüdiger; Kroos, Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouameni and Ceballos, as midfielders; and the strikers Hazard, Benzema, Asensio, Vinicius, Rodrygo and Mariano.