Jude Bellingham’s Fitness Uncertainty Looms Over Real Madrid’s Derby Preparations

Real Madrid is anxiously awaiting confirmation regarding the reason for Jude Bellingham’s premature departure from their penultimate training session ahead of the upcoming derby clash with Atletico Madrid.

Los Blancos are already grappling with absences, with the likes of Dani Carvajal, Vinicius Junior, Arda Guler, Eder Militao, and Thibaut Courtois sidelined for the impending Sunday night showdown. However, Diario AS has reported that Bellingham also had to cut short his training session.

The club’s medical staff remains cautiously optimistic that Bellingham will be available for the final training session and the match against Atletico. Bellingham left the training session while clutching his stomach, raising questions about whether he suffered a stomach-related injury or fell ill.

Real Madrid has a history of providing optimistic preliminary injury or illness assessments that later develop into more significant issues. However, in the case of illness, there is a reasonable chance that Bellingham could recover in time for the Atletico Madrid encounter.

Bellingham’s potential absence poses a significant challenge for manager Carlo Ancelotti. With six goals and one assist in their 11 goals this season, the decision to build the attack around Bellingham has been fruitful. However, it would leave Ancelotti with limited options against Atletico. Rodrygo Goes and Joselu Mato are likely candidates to start, and if Ancelotti aims to maintain a similar tactical system, he may consider Brahim Diaz or Luka Modric as potential replacements for Bellingham, should the need arise.