Real Madrid rocked before matchday: Carvajal, Militão, Alaba miss final session - Mastantuono absent

On the eve of the match, Real Madrid head into kickoff with fresh turmoil at the back. Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão and David Alaba were all listed as absent from the final training session, while highly touted youngster Franco Mastantuono was also noted as unavailable. From a rival analyst’s view, this is a gift. Madrid’s back line loses stability, aerial control and right-flank progression in one hit. With rotations forced and rhythm broken, the visitors should press high, overload the channels and target dead-ball situations. It is the worst-timed disruption and the sort of scenario that often flips a match plan on its head.

In the final preparatory workout before tomorrow’s fixture, multiple senior Madrid defenders did not take part. Carvajal’s recurring muscle issues have flared before, Militão is still being managed carefully after his long absence, and Alaba remains on a long road back from a major knee injury. Mastantuono, a highly discussed teenage prospect, is not part of the immediate squad picture for this match. The timing compounds a season in which Madrid have repeatedly had to reshuffle their back line.

Final training session ahead of tomorrow's game: ❌️ Carvajal ❌️ Militão ❌️ Alaba ❌️ Mastantuono

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

From a rival club’s data lens, this is exactly the structural weakness you want to face. Carvajal anchors Madrid’s right half-space progression and gives them safe exit routes under pressure. Remove him and their first pass out of the press often shifts centrally, where a risky vertical ball can be trapped. Militão is their best emergency defender - elite recovery pace, duel timing and box defending. Without his athletic floor, Madrid’s line either drops 5 to 8 meters or accepts one-on-ones they normally avoid. Alaba is the organizer who knits build-up angles, especially when Kroos or Modrić are not on the pitch together. Without his left-sided diagonals, Madrid’s switches slow and their wingers receive with defenders set.

Stack those three absences and you get a predictable cascade: more minutes for stop-gaps, fullbacks playing inverted when they should be overlapping, and midfielders forced to drop, which blunts counter-punching. Set pieces swing toward the opponent as aerial presence dips. The bench loses impact because players move into starting roles. In plain terms, Madrid surrender control in phase one of build-up and in final-third defending. Against a competent press with directed triggers, that is worth 2 to 3 additional high turnovers in dangerous zones and at least one big chance conceded more than their norm. If you are their rival, you smell blood.

Reaction

Fan chatter mirrored what the data suggests: Madrid supporters know the defensive deck is stacked against them. One quipped the injury list is longer than a grocery receipt, another joked the medical staff deserve Man of the Match. Calls to offload Alaba surfaced again, a frustration line that always spikes when timelines stay vague. Several fans stressed squad depth will finally meet a real stress test, while others pleaded for a true number nine to protect leads when the back line is patched together. A blunt summary from one user - our back is crying for help - captured the mood.

There was also confusion and eye-rolling over Mastantuono’s status, a reminder that hype cycles can outpace squad reality. The community split into two camps: the hardened realists, expecting a gritty, cagey win if at all, and the optimists who lean on the team’s habit of finding a way on matchday. But the undercurrent is undeniable - the fan base expects tactical compromises, fewer overlaps, and a nervy night defending the wide channels. As a rival observer, you could feel the tension even in the jokes.

Social reactions

Come take Sterling bro

Rozy♓ (@Smooth_Deraa)

I did more for my club than Alaba who gets 22m per seasons for wearing our kit & photoshoot.

ᏒᏗᎶᏁᏗᏒ (@RMCF_ragnar)

Can’t wait to see the boys back

Kinqsecret🥹🥶 (@EQuamina)

Prediction

Expect Madrid to tape the back line together with familiarity over flair. The likeliest patchwork involves a conservative right back, a veteran partner at center back, and a double pivot that drops early to build in a 3-2 shape. That screams containment, not control. Opponents should press the right-touchline exit, force the long clearance, and attack second balls. Target back-post crosses against smaller fullbacks and crowd the six-yard box on corners. Transitions will be there because Madrid’s first touch out of pressure loses its safety valve without Carvajal.

Return timelines will stretch. Carvajal’s soft-tissue pattern suggests caution - weeks, not days. Militão will not be risked into back-to-backs this soon after a major layoff, so expect gradual minutes management well beyond the next international break. Alaba’s road remains long - months, not weeks, before consistent elite minutes. Mastantuono is irrelevant to near-term selection. Net outcome: a brittle defensive cycle and an overburdened midfield. If the opponent scores first, this could spiral. If they set the press traps correctly, Madrid will be chasing a game they cannot open up without exposing the center backs.

Latest today

• Vinicius Jr set to stay: Real Madrid and Vini aligned on new long-term deal
• Report: Manchester United hierarchy keep faith in Ruben Amorim despite Grimsby scare and 1...
• Lisandro Martinez pushes for Everton return as Amorim weighs late fitness call
• Manchester United target Benjamin Sesko over Viktor Gyokeres in data-led striker plan

Conclusion

From a rival vantage point, Madrid could not have staged a more convenient invitation. Strip away Carvajal’s control, Militão’s recovery and Alaba’s orchestration and you get a defense that must choose between space and structure - and probably loses both. The data case is simple: fewer safe outlets, slower switches, weaker aerials, more emergency defending. Champions survive these nights with luck and moments. But planning around moments is not a plan.

So press them. Force mistakes. Pin the fullbacks, crowd the keeper, and make every set piece an event. Madrid will try to hide the gaps with game management and veteran nous, yet the legs missing today will still be missing on minute 75 when fatigue exposes new cracks. Talk up resilience all you want - this is a vulnerability window. The smart opponent walks through it.