Real Madrid arrives at the RCDE Stadium this Sunday with Kylian Mbappé ruled out and Thibaut Courtois still unavailable, a fresh blow to a squad already stretched by injuries. The trip to face Espanyol lands just days after the team drew 1-1 with Betis in Seville.
Mbappé suffered a left semitendinosus muscle injury in the match against Betis and will not be part of the squad for espanyol vs real madrid. Courtois remains out with an injury to the right rectus femoris muscle, although he is expected to be available for the Clásico against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Sunday, 10 de mayo. Dani Carvajal is also in doubt after a blow to his right foot kept him from training.
The injury list goes deeper. Eder Militao suffered a new rupture of the proximal tendon of the left biceps femoris and will miss the rest of the season and even the World Cup. Arda Güler has an injury in the same area and is also ruled out. Rodrygo has already begun recovery from a cruciate ligament rupture suffered in the last match against Getafe.
That leaves Madrid with a weakened squad at a point where, according to the source, it has practically said goodbye to its chances of fighting for the LaLiga title. The visit to Espanyol now becomes less about the race at the top and more about how much the team can absorb before the calendar turns to Barcelona.
For Madrid, the next marker is clear: survive Sunday in Barcelona and hope the roster is healthier by then. For now, the problem is immediate, and it is growing faster than the fixtures.
