Real Madrid take on Juventus in their Club World Cup round of 16 tie on Monday, and they have been handed a boost ahead of that match at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Xabi Alonso’s side have had a solid tournament thus far, with wins against Pachuca and RB Salzburg, as well as a draw against Al Hilal. And they will be favourites to defeat Juventus and book their place in the quarter-finals, where they would face Borussia Dortmund or Sergio Ramos’ Monterrey.
Juventus to be without key defender against Real Madrid
And Real Madrid’s hopes of progression look to have been given a small, with MD reporting that Juventus will be without Nicolo Savono for the remainder of the Club World Cup.
Savona suffered an ankle injury during Juventus’ 5-2 defeat to Manchester City earlier this week, and the Italians have announced that “diagnostic tests revealed a high-grade capsule ligamentous injury.” He is expected to miss two months, meaning that he would be absent for the start of the new Serie A season in August.
Savona started all three of Juventus’ matches in the Club World Cup group stages, but he will not be available against Real Madrid. It is a big blow for head coach Igor Tudor, who will have to turn to Gleison Bremer or Daniele Rugani instead.
This news on Savona coincides with positive injury news for Real Madrid, with it looking increasingly likely that Kylian Mbappe will return for the round of 16 showdown in Miami. The Frenchman missed all three of Los Blancos’ group stage matches due to illness, but he is back in training. Xabi Alonso is hopeful of having him available to face Juventus, although he would not be risked as a starter due to a lack of match sharpness.
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