Real Madrid have announced that captain Luka Modric will miss Thursday’s match against Spain. … (+)
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Real Madrid announced through an official statement shared on social media and their website that captain Luka Modric will miss Thursday’s Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Mallorca.
“Our player Luka Modric will miss today’s match against RCD Mallorca due to a viral infection,” the message read, followed by the short “pending evolution” that usually ends messages of this kind. A sentence has been added.
Modric was not expected to start in the Super Cup last-four match against Mallorca as Dani Ceballos and Fede Valverde will have to form a double pivot behind the more evolved Jude Bellingham in the center of the park. .
However, as MARCA explains, his absence is still a loss for manager Carlo Ancelotti, who introduces the veteran as one of his first substitutes in midfield.
The 39-year-old, who signed a one-year contract extension last summer, has appeared in 19 La Liga games for Los Blancos so far this season, seven of which were starts.
In his last game, he led his team to a 5-0 win from the offset against Deportivo Minera and was highly praised by the coach, who called the Croat a “gift” to football.
“Especially for those who enjoy him up close: the fans, his team-mates, the coach, everyone at Real Madrid. For me he is a great gift, especially for the way he prepares for this type of match. He’s preparing them to: ‘If we get to the final, he’ll be a very important example for the young people,’ added Ancelotti.
As an exemplary elite athlete who remains in perfect condition to be active at the top level even as he approaches his 40th birthday, Modric is likely to be a part of the potential final match against Madrid’s arch-rivals FC Barcelona on the 20th. We can expect it to recover by then. Sunday after the Catalans defeated Athletic Club 2-0 with four games left in the competition.
However, with the Ballon d’Or winner left out for this assignment, it becomes more likely that Arda Güler will enter the fray at some point in the match as a midfielder rather than a winger.
