Real Madrid blow: Camavinga and Dean Huijsen set to miss Man City - City smell blood

Fresh reports indicate Eduardo Camavinga and Dean Huijsen are practically ruled out of Real Madrid’s clash with Manchester City. From a rival’s lens, this tilts the balance hard toward City. Camavinga’s engine and press-resistance are Madrid’s insurance policy when the game turns wild. Remove that, and transitions become a highway for Haaland, Foden and De Bruyne. Fans split between panic and defiance, but the mood is edgy. I have played nights like this at the Etihad and small absences snowball quickly. Madrid will need a perfect night from Tchouameni, Valverde and Rüdiger to keep this from getting ugly.

Spanish radio reporting tied to the Madrid beat suggested both Eduardo Camavinga and Dean Huijsen are practically out for the upcoming showdown with Manchester City. The timing lands on the eve of a high-stakes European tie, with Madrid’s training rhythm already dented by recent knocks and late fitness tests. Internal talk points to risk-averse decisions for a congested schedule, with the staff wary of aggravating soft-tissue issues. City’s preparation, by contrast, has been clean and structured across the week. The matchup follows their recent European duels, where the margins were razor thin and availability swung the narrative.

🚨💣 BREAKING: Eduardo Camavinga & Dean Huijsen are practically OUT of the match vs Man. City. @miguelitocope ❌❌

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

From a City-friendly eye, this is the exact crack you target. Camavinga is Madrid’s escape hatch under pressure and their best firefighter when counters break. Without him, Tchouameni must anchor deeper, Valverde has to cover a wider lane, and Bellingham’s press loses its second wave. That means City can lock Madrid in longer, tilt the pitch, and re-cycle attacks until gaps appear. I have been in that storm at the Etihad - once your outlet is gone, you spend more time defending the box than building anything of substance.

Set piece phases swing too. Camavinga tracks second balls and is relentless on rest defense. Lose that, and Haaland lives on rebounds and scrambles. If Mendy starts at left back, Madrid keep some defensive solidity, but their progressive chain slows. If they gamble with a more offensive full back, the half space behind him becomes dinner for Bernardo and Foden. As for Dean Huijsen, even if he is not a regular for Madrid, the mere prospect of losing a young, athletic option for rotation or emergency minutes strips depth from a back line that already leans heavily on Rüdiger.

City will smell the hesitation and push early. Expect Pep to stack the right side, force Modric or Ceballos into lung-busting chases, and test any Madrid build with man-to-man triggers. Without Camavinga’s ability to break the first press, Madrid’s best route is long diagonals to Rodrygo and rapid third-man runs. That is low margin against a City side that loves to squeeze you into a mistake.

Reaction

The mood among supporters whipsawed fast. A chunk of Madrid fans hit the panic button, calling the tie done and dusted, even tossing out bleak lines like end the season. Another group went straight for the manager discourse, shouting for the next era and talking up Xabi Alonso as if a change on the touchline could heal a hamstring. There is also the gallows humor brigade - when it rains it pours - trying to laugh off the anxiety but clearly bracing for the worst.

Some City-leaning voices did not hide their grin. The thinking is simple: without Camavinga’s legs, Haaland runs riot unless Rüdiger pulls out a vintage masterclass. One fan pushed a wild tactical idea about not starting a star forward to change Madrid’s rhythm, a sign of how rattled the fanbase feels. And yet, the hardcore Madrid faithful kept the faith with a loud we will still win, Hala Madrid. That resilient strand always shows up before a European night.

As someone who has heard changing room walls shake before big games, I recognize the tone. Doubt spreads fastest when the opponent is City. The fear is not just losing, it is being suffocated. The defiant replies, though, do matter. They set the energy for the away end and keep the team from feeling the sky is falling before kickoff.

Social reactions

When it rains it pours Madridstas 😭😭

Mandzukic15 (@KSepeyi95407)

Things just keeps getting worse. LMAO

𝐃 𝐑 𝐄 𝐗 (@DrexEv)

Haaland might run riot unless Rudiger can turn back the clock 😭

Yan (@chnnjp)

Prediction

If City press with their usual five-lane structure and pin Madrid’s full backs, the first 30 minutes decides everything. Without Camavinga, Madrid’s exits rely on Tchouameni’s first touch and Valverde’s engine. That can work, but the margin is razor-thin. I expect Pep to overload the right, pull Kroos-era patterns out of Modric’s legs, and force mistakes near the D. One clean City turnover and Haaland is in business. My rival hat says 2-0 City if they score early.

Scenario two: Madrid bunker smart, slow the tempo, and hunt set pieces. If Rüdiger wins his duels and Courtois commands the box, the game stretches. That invites a one-punch steal from Bellingham or a Rodrygo blindside run. It is the classic Madrid European rope-a-dope, but it needs total concentration and a slice of chaos.

Longer arc, I do not see Camavinga rushed back. My gut as a former pro says the staff will shade conservative and push his true return to late next month to avoid setbacks in a brutal calendar. Depth pieces will decide this tie. If City’s bench hits the tempo, the aggregate tilts their way. If Madrid survive the Etihad with minimal damage, the Bernabeu becomes a different planet.

Latest today

• Real Madrid chiefs meet amid growing uncertainty over Xabi Alonso if Man City tie is lost
• Real Madrid weighing options: Zidane prioritizes France, Klopp settled at Red Bull as Alon...
• Manchester United set a clear multi-window plan: two CMs, a winger and a centre-back
• Mbappé fractured finger vs Celta Vigo but will face Man City - rival view

Conclusion

I have been in dressing rooms that read a team sheet and feel the air change. This has that feel. City prepare for a track meet, and Madrid are missing the one player who chases everything and still has the touch to keep the ball. That is not a minor detail, it is their safety net. My expectation, reading the patterns and the schedule, is that Camavinga is managed on a 4 to 6 week horizon, regardless of softer whispers. It is the smart play across a season that will punish any gamble.

As for Huijsen, the headline strips another layer of athletic depth from the conversation and leaves Madrid living on Rüdiger’s edge and Tchouameni’s timing. City will hammer the channels until something gives. Could Madrid flip the script with pure mentality again? Of course. That badge has a way of bending logic. But if you asked every ex-pro in a neutral room where the edge sits tonight, most would nod toward City.

Bluntly, this is a gift for Guardiola. Madrid can still scrap, but their margin for error shrank to almost nothing. If they do not nail the first press break, it gets ugly fast. City smell blood, and I do not see them wasting it.