Last-minute withdrawal: Ancelotti desperate and only 11 from the first team
Baku, May 14, AZERTAC
Andriy Lunin is officially out of Real Madrid's squad for the match against Real Mallorca, according to Realmadrid Confidencial. The Ukrainian '13' has been part of Carlo Ancelotti's lists for almost the entire season, but the white team has issued a striking official statement hours before the match.
That announcement reveals that the European goalkeeper is left out of the Reggiolo manager's plans to face the red team, tonight, at Santiago Bernabéu. The reason for his absence from the squad for the third-to-last match of the 24/25 League is, as has happened throughout the current season, an injury.
"Andriy Lunin is out of the squad for today's match against Real Mallorca due to a contusion on his right hand sustained during yesterday's training", they reveal. Those words from Real Madrid's official statement point to an injury that Andriy Lunin himself has tried to overcome during the last 24 hours, a task that was ultimately impossible.
That's why "Fran González enters the squad in his place", the third goalkeeper of the white team who has already had minutes with the first team during the current soccer season. With this absence, the critical situation that the first team is currently going through is confirmed, whose lack of players has become a considerable problem.
The exit of Andriy Lunin from the squad against Real Mallorca leaves only eleven first-team players available for Carlo Ancelotti. Not taking into account the seven injured players that the Reggiolo manager currently has, Real Madrid must compose a starting eleven for that match as soon as possible... but avoiding a catastrophic sanction.
Not in vain, the white club would risk committing an improper line-up in the match against Real Mallorca. To avoid breaking that rule, Carlo Ancelotti should present a starting eleven in which at least seven first-team players participate. The participation of footballers like Aurélien Tchouaméni, Fede Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, or Vinícius will be essential today.
Only in this way could a sanction for improper line-up be avoided, which would completely eliminate any opportunity for Real Madrid in the fight for the leadership in the current league campaign. Despite the defeat in the Montjuïc Clásico last Sunday, the disadvantage is seven points, with nine points still to be played.
That means that the white club must achieve full victories in their matches against Real Mallorca, Sevilla, and Real Sociedad. They must also hope that FC Barcelona doesn't do the same against Espanyol, Villarreal, and Athletic Club de Bilbao as the only solution to be League champion this May.
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