Rival watch: Real Madrid defender to undergo tests after injury vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Real Madrid suffered a blow in midweek when their key defender Antonio Rudiger suffered a nasty cut on his forehead during the UEFA Champions League encounter against Shakhtar Donetsk.

While the German international did end up scoring an important goal that helped Real Madrid salvage a point, the cut on his forehead left him bleeding for quite some time. There are now concerns over his participation in the upcoming El Clasico.

A recent report from Diario AS has offered a fresh update on Rudiger’s fitness, in the aftermath of Real Madrid’s game against Shakhtar Donetsk.

It appears the defender has needed 20 stitches on his forehead. He will be tested on Wednesday, which will determine his availability against FC Barcelona this weekend.

Rudiger’s potential absence could serve as a massive blow for Los Blancos, especially given the fact that their other top centre-back in Eder Militao was suffering from a muscle spasm earlier in the week.

Although Militao is likely to return to the starting eleven this weekend, the fresh uncertainty around Rudiger’s presence could potentially affect the balance of the Real Madrid backline.

However, the Real Madrid camp remains confident of Rudiger’s availability. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has already assured that there was nothing serious about the cut and the defender should quickly.

“He has a cut on his forehead. He is mending it and emotionally he is fine. He laughs and is happy because he has scored an important goal,” Ancelotti said during the post-match press conference.

Apart from Rudiger, Real Madrid are also sweating over the availability of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. While Ancelotti recently insisted that the Belgian international could return to training in time for El Clasico, doubts remain over his availability for Sunday’s blockbuster clash.

Barcelona, for their part, also have several injury issues to deal with ahead of the game, with Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Hector Bellerin and Memphis Depay all currently on the sidelines.

However, there is some optimism about the availability of Kounde for the high-profile encounter at the Bernabeu.