In news which is bound to bring joy to the hearts of the Los Blancos supporters, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric are in contention to make their return to the Real Madrid lineup for this weekend’s Madrid derby.
Both players had suffered knee injuries last month, with Ramos and Modric picking up their respective injuries against Albania and Espanyol. At the time, Modric’s injury was considered a more serious one and he was also subject to surgery proceedings.
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However, after a successful arthroscopic surgery on the Croatian’s left knee, Real Madrid released a statement which confirmed the success of the procedure stating, “Our player Luka Modric, was subjected today to successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for removal of a patellar chondral fragment of traumatic origin.”
On Monday morning, the Spanish newspaper, AS, tweeted their joy at the availability of the talismanic captain on their front page, stating, “Sergio Ramos back for Madrid derby - the defender has recovered from the knee sprain suffered in early October.”
Madrid Derby
The Madrid derby takes place this weekend at the Vicente Calderon and the availability of the duo is sure to boost the morale of the squad. Real Madrid captain, Sergio Ramos, injured his knee last month while on international duty and since then has been sidelined.
The all-action defender has been one of the mainstays of the Madrid side and over the years the diminutive Croatian has also been an exceptional player. Ramos though will look forward to leading his team out at the Vicente Calderon, where he is yet to taste defeat in a Madrid shirt.
The Croat, on the other hand, was freed from international duty by Croatia coach, Cacic after the midfielder played only 28 minutes of the second half against Iceland. The fact that Modric will not play the friendly against Northern Ireland is sure to boost his chances of starting the Madrid derby.
Speaking ahead of the derby, Modric captured his positive mood with the statement, “I'm good, I'm ready for the derby.”
Crucial weeks ahead
Real have a crucial few weeks ahead of them as they look to tighten their stranglehold at the top of the league. Fixtures against Atletico and Barcelona in the coming weeks will give a clearer indication of the title race.
Madrid’s participation in the Club World Cup also means that they will have to play catch up in terms of fixtures and maybe points. Real Madrid are currently top of the table after 11 games with 27 points, 2 ahead of the chasing pack which includes Barcelona with 25 points.
Atletico lies in fourth place with 21 points and are six points off the pace. A win for Los Blancos will see them extend their lead over their derby rivals by 9 points. However, title race aside immediate redemption for the sides are the bragging rights which are the feature of derbies.
