Real Madrid are preparing themselves to take on Atletico Madrid in the LaLiga this weekend but Kylian Mbappe will miss out with an injury.
Mbappe complained of discomfort in his left leg during Madrid’s 3-2 LaLiga win against Alaves following which he was taken off. Initially, Ancelotti claimed it was a knock but the injury is more serious than initially anticipated and Kylian Mbappe will be out of action for three weeks.
The official medical report has revealed: “Following tests carried out today by Real Madrid’s Medical Services on our player Kylian Mbappe, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg. His progress will be monitored.”
How will Ancelotti replace Kylian Mbappe?
Thankfully, the international break is just around the corner so Kylian Mbappe should miss only three games for Real Madrid. However, these three matches are not exactly a walk in the park because, at the weekend, Los Blancos play in the Madrid derby and then face Lille in the UCL, followed by Villarreal in the LaLiga.
Since joining Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe has been playing as a centre-forward but now with him out of the picture, Ancelotti will either have to use young Endrick as his primary striker or he will have to revert to the formation he used last season.
Last season, Madrid mostly played in a 4-3-1-2 system with Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr playing up top. This will probably be the tried and tested plan however, with midfielders like Camavinga and Dani Ceballos ruled out with injuries, this system will be very difficult to deploy.
Also, Toni Kroos has retired and Modric doesn’t have the legs to control the midfield against a team like Atletico Madrid.
Ancelotti could also opt to use Jude Bellingham in a more central role within the 4-3-1-2 system. However, this would not only limit the Englishman’s creative skills, but it would also require Arda Guler to play as the No. 10, which will be a bit of a gamble.
We think the manager will most likely go with a 4-2-3-1 formation with summer signing Endrick featuring as the centre-forward. The 18-year-old has scored two goals in 7 appearances this season and with players like Vini and Rodrygo running around him, he should be able to hold his own for the next three matches.