Just one day after El Clásico, Real Madrid confirmed Dani Carvajal suffered a knee injury, ruling him out of the team’s upcoming trip to Anfield and potentially for the rest of 2025.
The right back, who only just returned from a calf injury in Sunday’s 2–1 victory over Barcelona, is now set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines. After experiencing discomfort in the match, Carvajal underwent further testing by Real Madrid on Monday.
Los Blancos announced the Spaniard’s new injury in a club statement: “Following tests carried out on our captain Dani Carvajal by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with the presence of a loose body in his right knee joint. Carvajal will now undergo an arthroscopy.”
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Although Real Madrid did not specify the timeline of Carvajal’s recovery following the procedure, The Athletic report the 33-year-old could be out for the remainder of the calendar year.
The injury comes in the same knee in which the veteran defender ruptured two ligaments and a tendon in Oct. 2024. Carvajal spent nine months in the infirmary before he returned at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup.
He then was a regular feature for Real Madrid at the beginning of the 2025–26 season until he suffered a calf injury in the Madrid derby, sidelining him until El Clásico. Carvajal logged just 18 minutes against the Catalans before being hit with yet another long-term issue.
Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal (right) has seen his last two seasons have been marred by injury. / Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images
Should Carvajal miss out on the rest of 2025, the Spaniard will miss at least the following 10 matches for Real Madrid:
Opponent Date Competition
Valencia (H) Nov. 1 La Liga
Liverpool (A) Nov. 4 Champions League
Rayo Vallecano (A) Nov. 9 La Liga
Elche (A) Nov. 23 La Liga
Olympiacos (A) Nov. 26 Champions League
Girona (A) Nov. 30 La Liga
Celta Vigo (H) Dec. 7 La Liga
Manchester City (A) Dec. 10 Champions League
Alavés (A) Dec. 14 La Liga
Sevilla (H) Dec. 21 La Liga
Alonso will have to almost entirely rely on Trent Alexander-Arnold, who also just spent nearly two months in the infirmary, to get Real Madrid to the holiday break. Carvajal’s injury all-but guarantees the former Liverpool star gets the nod when Los Blancos make the trip to Anfield.
Federico Valverde, meanwhile, will also likely have to make a few more appearances on the right flank amid the Spanish giants’ defensive injury woes.
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