On Wednesday evening, Real Madrid secured their place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, with a 2-1 win at home to Benfica (3-1 on aggregate), with goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius Junior.
It was not the prettiest game, and the team was certainly not without fault, but the win was the most important thing. Especially considering Alvaro Arbeloa was without a number of key players for the game.
Indeed, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Eder Militao out of action, as well as the suspension of Rodrygo after the first game of the Benfica trilogy. Despite that, the team was able to get the job done.
Update on Real Madrid's Long Injury List
IMAGO / NurPhoto
Eder Militao and Rodrygo
As you would expect, there has been plenty of anxiety within the Real Madrid fanbase about when these players will return. Well, as per reports on Thursday afternoon, we may well know the answers.
Indeed, as COPE have provided some updates. They report that none of Bellingham, Militao, or Dani Ceballos will be back in time for the Champions League round of 16. For context, the games will be played on the 10th/11th and 17th/18th of March, so they will be out for at least that length of time.
Furthermore, they report that Militao is also likely to miss "at least" the first leg of a potential quarter-final tie, which leads us into April, after the March international break.
Eder Militao picks up an injury against Celta Vigo
IMAGO / Pressinphoto
In brighter news, they report that Mbappe will be out for 10-14 days and should be back for the round of 16. As it stands, he is set to miss the games with Getafe and Celta Vigo. After that, we shall have to wait and see how he recovers. Although the Frenchman being injured is suboptimal in general, it certainly could have been worse, especially if he is back for the tie against Sporting or Manchester City.
Plus, it gives Arbeloa the chance to give Gonzalo Garcia, a player he has worked with closely in the past, a chance to get more minutes. The Spanish striker has scored six goals and provided two assists in 1084 minutes this season, which works out at around 12 full games.
Gonzalo Garcia celebrates scoring
IMAGO / SOPA Images
Nevertheless, in general, not an ideal update. It can't be stressed just how important Militao is in the defence. Meanwhile, the team seriously missed Bellingham's presence against Osasuna in particular. Hopefully, the latter will at least be back for a potential quarter-final tie.