Real Madrid face full backline wipeout before match as Mendy, Alaba, Carvajal sit out final training

On the eve of Real Madrid’s game, the last training session painted a brutal picture: Ferland Mendy, David Alaba and Dani Carvajal were all absent. That is a left back, a center back and a right back gone in one swoop - the spine of a backline ripped out again just when the team needs stability. Even fans could list it like a grim inventory. If you’re looking for excuses, you’ll find a whole catalogue in Valdebebas today. And yes, the opponent will smell blood. I’ve seen squads wobble like this before. The scent of panic is hard to hide.

Final pre-match workout at Valdebebas, the day before kickoff. Multiple first-team defenders were not involved in the concluding session typically used for set-piece rehearsal and tactical fine-tuning. Club-focused outlets and matchday observers flagged the absences as the squad slimmed down for the travel list and late medical checks. The pattern mirrors previous crunch weeks, where fullbacks and center backs dropped out simultaneously, forcing emergency reshuffles on the flanks and at the heart of defense.

Final training session ahead of tomorrow's game: ❌️ Mendy ❌️ Alaba ❌️ Huijsen ❌️ Carvajal

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

This is the nightmare configuration for any side: one LB, one CB and one RB out at the same time. Strip away three quarters of your defensive line and every phase of play creaks. Without Ferland Mendy’s physical duels and recovery pace, Madrid lose their safety net on the left. David Alaba’s calm distribution and line leadership are gone, which means build-up angles flatten and the press-resistance from the back fades. Dani Carvajal’s timing in transition, both ways, is usually the hinge that turns defense into attack. Remove him and Madrid become predictable, funneling play through Lucas Vázquez or asking a midfielder to babysit the flank.

Tactically, opponents will target aerial and second-ball zones around Antonio Rüdiger and Eder Militao, pulling one out with diagonal runs while isolating the makeshift fullback on the weak side. Set pieces become a hazard because Alaba organizes the block and rest-defense shape. Without him, Madrid tend to defend corners a step too deep, inviting cutbacks instead of clearing the first contact. In possession, Fran García can offer width, but with Mendy out you sacrifice shoulder-to-shoulder strength in defensive transitions. If Madrid try to compensate by pushing a pivot into the back line, the midfield loses bite and the front three get starved between the lines.

I’ve watched this team in similar states last season and the body language usually tells the story within 10 minutes. If early build-up gets rushed, panic spreads. You don’t fix a broken backline on the fly. Not in a game that matters.

Reaction

The mood online swung from gallows humor to outright dread. One supporter tallied it like a shop list: one LB, two CBs, one RB - an entire back line gone. Another joked that their weekend plans are as incomplete as Madrid’s training group. You could feel the eye-rolls when someone quipped that even with everyone fit, nothing would change. A rival fan took aim at Alaba’s availability with a snide nudge toward a move abroad. Madrid loyalists, usually bullish, sounded unusually brittle: if they don’t win, they’re not sure how they’ll react. That isn’t bravado - that’s a fanbase bracing for impact.

There was also a resigned recognition of pattern. Since last season, these absences seem to cluster in the same positions at the same time. When the same movie plays, people stop debating the plot and start predicting the ending. Some tried to stay upbeat, praising the “preparation” of the absentees with sarcasm. Others called tomorrow a big test that demands flawless energy. But let’s be honest: fans can read a depth chart. Strip out your starters on three lines of the defense and you don’t get swagger; you get survival mode.

Social reactions

Real Madrid fans Everytime they think about Mendy

Handsomeloner👀🙇 (@Handsomeloner23)

Mendy say what again???

MONACO (@EmmanuelAdawu3)

One LB Two CBs One RB An entire back line is out 🤦

Hala Madrid (@madridupdates__)

Prediction

From a rival vantage point, this sets up perfectly. Press the first pass to the right where Carvajal’s cover is missing, bait Madrid into vertical balls, then collapse on the receiver. Hit early diagonals to the left back channel where Mendy’s recovery speed is absent. Test the keeper with second-phase shots after corners since Alaba’s box command is off the pitch. I see Madrid conceding a cheap chance inside the first 20 minutes and spending the rest of the half chasing their structure.

Best case for them: Militao and Rüdiger win their duels, Lucas Vázquez survives the wide overloads, and Fran García times his surges to keep the opponent honest. Worst case: midfield gets dragged into the back line, leaving acres between lines for runners to attack. Given the recurrence of these defensive absences, I’d project longer-than-optimistic timelines: Carvajal eased back cautiously, Mendy “week to week” that drifts, and Alaba on a measured route that stretches beyond the international window. Expect Madrid to rely on conservative shapes, fewer fullback overlaps, and a lot more clearance-first pragmatism. If they nick a result, it will be scrappy. If not, the table will finally reflect what the injury report has been screaming for months.

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Conclusion

You can dress it up, but losing three starters on the back line a day before kickoff is not a footnote - it’s the headline. The coaching staff will talk about versatility and group resilience. They always do. Yet the tape never lies: Mendy’s recovery runs, Alaba’s authority, Carvajal’s timing in duels. Remove those habits and the margins vanish. As a rival journalist, I’ve seen Madrid pull off great escapes, led by legends who deserve every ounce of respect for their craft and mentality. But even the great sides struggle when the scaffolding is gone.

The truth is simple. Opponents will target the fullbacks, toss traffic at the channels, and squeeze Madrid’s exits until errors come. The fans sense it, the players feel it, and tomorrow will show it. If Madrid survive, credit their stars for carrying a patched-up unit. If they don’t, no one can pretend they weren’t warned. This isn’t a blip - it’s a pattern. And patterns decide seasons.