Real Madrid receive massive injury boost ahead of Copa del Rey showdown against Barcelona

Real Madrid have received a seismic injury boost ahead of their Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Barcelona, with reports declaring Antonio Rudiger fit for the showdown.

Rudiger missed Real Madrid’s 6-0 routing of Rayo Vallecano on Sunday afternoon (April 2) with a muscle injury. There was doubt over his availability for the Copa del Rey second leg at Barcelona, which, according to Diario AS, has been alleviated.

It has been claimed that the former Chelsea star completed a team training session without any difficulty on Tuesday morning (April 4). He is now expected to be part of the traveling party that will make its way to the Camp Nou for Wednesday’s (April 5) Copa del Rey clash.

The Blaugrana secured a 1-0 win over Los Blancos in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu in March. To overturn a one-goal deficit at Camp Nou, Los Merengues need to put their best foot forward this week.

Rudiger has featured in 38 games for the All Whites in the 2022-23 season, starting 17 of their last 19 matches. With David Alaba missing a lot of football in 2023 due to injuries, Rudiger has emerged as a mainstay in Carlo Ancelotti’s XI.

As it stands, Madrid will travel to Barcelona with only one absentee: their left-back Ferland Mendy, who is still recovering from a hamstring problem.

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Real Madrid could field both David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger in the clash against Barcelona

With Ferland Mendy ruled out, Real Madrid are lacking options at left-back. Nacho and Eduardo Camavinga have occupied the position in Mendy’s absence, but neither player has looked very confident.

While Camavinga has an abundance of pace, stamina and attacking guile, he is prone to making positional mistakes. Nacho, on the other hand, has proven his mettle as a competent defender, but hardly provides any support to Vinicius Junior going forward.

Real Madrid’s issue could be resolved by David Alaba, who was once Bayern Munich’s first-choice left-back. He is an excellent defender, has an abundance of pace, and can whip in dangerous crosses into the area.

If Alaba counts himself fit enough to play the full 90 minutes against Xavi’s spirited Barcelona, Ancelotti could reinstate Antonio Rudiger into the XI without sacrificing the Austrian.