Bellingham Back on the Grass as Madrid Prepare for Benfica Showdown
Real Madrid's injury list is finally thinning ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Benfica, though a few doubts remain at Valdebebas.
Real Madrid’s treatment room is slowly emptying ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League tie with Benfica at the Bernabéu — but it’s not all rosy just yet.
Bellingham’s Return Creeping Closer
The big talking point around Valdebebas right now is Jude Bellingham. The Englishman has been out for 23 days now, and while there’s still no official return date, the signs are getting better by the session. He’s been mixing indoor work with time out on the actual grass, and he posted a snap of his boots ready to go on Monday — the sort of thing that gets the Madridista faithful buzzing. No one’s putting a date on it, but the feeling is he’s pushing hard to get back sharpish.
Valverde: Not 100%, But Expected to Be There
Federico Valverde has been carrying a knock for a few weeks now, and the coaching staff decided to take the sensible route and hold him back rather than risk making things worse. Álvaro Arbeloa confirmed they chose not to take any chances with him. The Uruguayan has since trained without issue, and the expectation is that he’ll ramp things up in Tuesday’s session and be fit enough to feature on Wednesday. Given how important he is to how Madrid function in midfield, getting him on the pitch matters a lot.
The Other Injury Updates
- Rodrygo — trained fully with the group and is progressing well, but he’s suspended for the Benfica match. His focus is on being available for the following Monday’s league fixture.
- Dean Huijsen — worked indoors and is a genuine doubt for Wednesday. Whether he makes it will depend on how he responds in the next 24 hours.
- Dani Ceballos — the rough one. The injury he picked up against Osasuna has been confirmed as serious, and he’s looking at four to six weeks on the sidelines. A proper blow for him, that.
The Bigger Picture
All things considered, Madrid are in a better place than they were a few weeks back when the treatment room looked like a proper casualty ward. There’s cautious optimism around the place, and with a Champions League knockout tie on the horizon, they’ll need every available body firing. Benfica won’t be a walk in the park.