The puzzle begins anew for Carlo Ancelotti, with two new starting eleven positions to be filled ahead of the game at Real Sociedad. He will have to do without David Alaba for some time to come
Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni will have to demonstrate a certain variability this season. So far, they have been presented with a new midfield player in every game. Jude Bellingham, who is now injured, started the season, followed by Arda Güler and then Luka Modric. Before the international break against Betis (2:0), Dani Ceballos was given a chance to prove himself. Unfortunately for the 28-year-old, he promptly sprained his ankle. He will be out for a good two months.
The situation is all the more precarious ahead of the game in San Sebastian, however, as Tchouameni is now also out. The Frenchman injured his foot with the national team and is just as unlikely to be in the squad as Bellingham, for whom the game at Anoeta on Saturday (9pm) is still too early. “I don’t think they’ll play tomorrow because it’s still too early. They’ve only played a small part and we’ll see in the next few days whether they’ll be available on Tuesday,” said Ancelotti with regard to the game against VfB Stuttgart in the Champions League.
However, the midfield against San Sebastian is wafer-thin. Eduardo Camavinga is also not an option. The Frenchman is unlikely to return until the beginning of October after pulling a ligament in his left knee
Alaba is apparently aiming for November
And what about David Alaba? The Austrian tore his cruciate ligament on December 17, 2023, affecting several tendons and the meniscus. Since then, the defender has been fighting his way back step by step, but has also suffered a number of setbacks. According to information from AS, he travels to Innsbruck at least once a month to see his trusted doctor. In May, slight complications in the healing process were discovered there, which made a minor operation necessary.
Alaba began running training a few weeks ago, but there is still no sign of more. According to club sources, the 32-year-old could return in November
