Real Madrid defender absent from training, set to miss Stuttgart clash

In a concerning update, journalist Javier Birlanga reports that Real Madrid defender Eder Militao is not training with the rest of the squad today and is set to miss their UEFA Champions League opener against VfB Stuttgart.

Real Madrid kick off their Champions League title defence tomorrow as they lock horns with Stuttgart in their first game of the new ‘League Phase’ of the competition.

However, Los Blancos will go into the contest with several injury issues as Eduardo Camavinga, David Alaba, Dani Ceballos, and more recently Brahim Diaz are all ruled out through injury.

Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni are expected to make a comeback but Carlo Ancelotti now has a fresh headache with Militao’s situation.

The Brazilian centre-back suffered an injury during the international break and returned to Madrid from the national team camp.

Despite there being concerns about his condition, Militao recovered swiftly and featured for Los Blancos against Real Sociedad this past Saturday, although there was an instance when he was seen limping.

Now, Militao did not train with the rest of the group today and was seen working by himself. As such, all signs point towards him being unavailable to face Stuttgart tomorrow.

This is a concerning development for Ancelotti & co., who have been hit hard with injuries early in the season.

Given that Antonio Rudiger is a guaranteed starter at the heart of the defence, it will be interesting to see who Ancelotti picks to partner him.

Youngster Raul Asencio could be an option while Jesus Vallejo is also fit and available. The manager could also turn to Dani Carvajal to operate as a centre-back.