Jude Bellingham set to reclaim key role at Real Madrid ahead of Girona clash, confirms coach Arbeloa
Jude Bellingham was a substitute last Tuesday in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against Bayern Munich. However, ahead of the La Liga match against Girona, Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa confirmed that things will be different.
“Militao and Bellingham are going to start,” Arbeloa said during Thursday’s press conference, as reported by Diario AS. Both players are working to regain their best physical and sporting form, and the Girona match will be an ideal opportunity for them to log valuable minutes.
Bellingham suffered a hamstring injury in mid-February that kept him out of 10 Real Madrid matches. He returned to action at the end of March as a substitute, and although he joined the England squad during the March FIFA break, he did not play in the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
Since then, the midfielder has played 31 minutes against Mallorca in La Liga last weekend, and 28 minutes against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. He delivered a strong performance, playing a key role in the team’s second-half comeback that reduced the two-goal deficit.
Militao also returns to the team
Eder Militao finds himself in a situation very similar to Bellingham’s. The Brazilian defender also suffered a muscle injury that sidelined him for an extended period—missing 24 matches across all competitions since December.
After returning for limited minutes against Mallorca, where he scored a goal, Militao also played 28 minutes against Bayern Munich and is now preparing to start for the first time this year.
Finally, another piece of good news for Real Madrid is the return of Ferland Mendy, who has only been able to play five matches this season due to a string of injuries. “Mendy will get minutes,” Arbeloa confirmed at the press conference.
Real Madrid have no margin for error in La Liga
While it is clear that Real Madrid’s priority right now is the UEFA Champions League, where they will look to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich next Wednesday, that is not their only concern.
They know that in La Liga, there is no room for error if they want to remain in the title race against Barcelona. With eight matches remaining, the Blaugrana lead the standings by seven points over Los Blancos, so a poor result against Girona this Friday would leave them with almost no chance of winning the title.