Real Madrid Suffers Devastating Injury Setback Hours Before Crucial Osasuna Clash
Real Madrid will be missing central defender Dean Huijsen for Saturday's match against Osasuna, as officially announced by the club.
A calf problem prevented Huijsen from participating in training sessions leading up to the fixture, and the summer acquisition was consequently excluded from Madrid's traveling party.
Reports from MARCA suggest that Huijsen's injury is not serious, with expectations that he could return for consideration in Wednesday's Champions League playoff second leg clash with Benfica.
How Real Madrid Can Replace Dean Huijsen
How Real Madrid Can Replace Dean Huijsen
With Éder Militão also out injured, Madrid's defensive choices are limited, with only three central defenders making the journey to Pamplona.
Antonio Rüdiger is expected to keep his starting position, even though he has just recovered from his own injury concerns. Arbeloa would likely prefer to give the German some rest but finds his hands tied by circumstances.
Partnering Rüdiger in defense will probably be the returning Raúl Asencio, who missed the first leg against Benfica due to suspension and should therefore be relatively well-rested for this encounter.
As another possibility, David Alaba remains available for Arbeloa's selection, though the experienced defender is viewed more as a substitute option, having started only twice in all competitions with just 240 minutes played.
The adaptable Aurélien Tchouaméni could fill in if required, while left-back Álvaro Carreras has previously been deployed as an emergency central defender when necessary.
Who Else Is Missing for Real Madrid?
Who Else Is Missing for Real Madrid?
The Madrid roster is in reasonably good shape, especially when compared to the injury-hit periods of previous campaigns, but Arbeloa still has several absences to work around.
As previously noted, Militão and Huijsen are ruled out defensively, while in attack, Arbeloa continues to be without key players Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo. The English midfielder faces up to two months on the sidelines with a hamstring problem, while Rodrygo has been recently affected by tendonitis.