Real Madrid dealt late injury blow ahead of Man City first-leg

Spanish giants Real Madrid have been afforded an untimely blow on the personnel front, in the buildup to the club’s crunch Champions League first-leg showdown with Manchester City.

Real, of course were back in action 24 hours ago.

Kicking a season-defining couple of weeks of fixtures into gear, Los Blancos went head-to-head with Osasuna, in the finale of the Copa del Rey.

And, when all was said and done, Carlo Ancelotti’s troops clinched their first silverware of the campaign, courtesy of a Rodrygo-inspired 2-1 triumph.

One increasingly prominent member of Ancelotti’s ranks who played no part in the action at the Estadio de La Cartuja, though, comes in the form of Dani Ceballos.

The former Arsenal man was a surprise last-minute scratch from Real’s squad to face Osasuna, sparking immediate concerns surrounding a potential injury.

And, as alluded to above, on Sunday, as much, unfortunately, has been confirmed.

As per a report from Spanish outlet Marca, Ceballos picked up a thigh issue in training over the weekend.

The midfielder, in turn, has been ruled out of both Real’s Champions League semi-final first-leg showdown with Manchester City, and next weekend’s La Liga meeting with Getafe.

His status for next week’s trip to The Etihad, meanwhile, remains up in the air.

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