Real Madrid have been dealt a serious blow ahead of their Champions League clashes with Liverpool and Manchester City, as Xabi Alonso has reportedly lost an experienced defender for the next three months.
Los Blancos have made an unblemished start to the 2025-26 La Liga campaign with three victories from three matches, leaving them at the top of theSpanish top-flight table and two points clear of reigning champions Barcelona.
The 15-time European champions are back in action on Saturday against Real Sociedad following the international break, but Alonso will not have Antonio Rudiger at his disposal.
The 32-year-old recently started both of Germany's World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Slovakia and Northern Ireland earlier this month, but he was taken off in the 82nd minute of the latter match and has now been diagnosed with a quadriceps injury.
In their medical statement, Real Madrid did not state how long Rudiger was expected to be sidelined for, but Fabrizio Romano reports that the Germany international is set to spend around three months in the treatment room.
Real Madrid games Rudiger could miss after injury confirmed
Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger pictured on March 13, 2025
A three-month recovery period could see Rudiger make his return to action in mid-December, but not before Los Blancos face long-time European rivals Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League on November 4.
Alonso is guaranteed to be without the former Chelsea defender for the trip to Merseyside, and he will likely be cutting it close for Manchester City's visit to the Bernabeu, which takes place on December 10.
Real Madrid's first three UCL games of the new term are against Marseille (September 16), Kairat (September 30) and Juventus (October 22), and Los Blancos will be forced to navigate those clashes without Rudiger too.
The centre-back will miss a handful of crucial domestic games to boot, most notably El Clasico on October 26, as well as the meeting with Atletico Madrid on September 27 and the visit of Villarreal on October 4.
Rudiger's only La Liga appearance so far this season came in Los Blancos' 3-0 win over Real Oviedo on August 24, and the defender featured on 50 occasions for Real Madrid in the 2024-25 season across all tournaments.
How can Real Madrid cope without Rudiger?
Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso on August 19, 2025
In the space of three full seasons, Rudiger has already made over 150 appearances for Real Madrid, and the 32-year-old was expected to carry on playing a critical role under Alonso.
The German's experience in a three-man defence at Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel would have ostensibly made him a perfect fit for Alonso's preferred shape, but the latter has tested out a four-man wall since returning to the Bernabeu.
As a result, Los Blancos should theoretically have enough strength in depth to cope without Rudiger, as Alonso can call upon Dean Huijsen, Raul Asencio, David Alaba and Eder Militao in the heart of defence.
However, Militao and Alaba have both struggled to avoid serious injuries over the past couple of years, while the jury may still be out on Asencio after some unconvincing displays last season.
Rudiger could have therefore made himself Huijsen's first-choice partner in the coming months, so regardless of Alonso's alternative options, losing the Germany international until Christmas is a big blow indeed.
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