Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal has sustained a calf injury, the club announced on Sunday, with Spanish media reporting that the defender will be sidelined for at least four weeks.
He has participated in seven of Real’s eight matches across all competitions this season but had to come off after an hour during Saturday’s 5-2 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
The 33-year-old had returned to action in July for the Club World Cup semi-finals after being out for nine months due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
“After the tests conducted today on our player Carvajal by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the soleus muscle of his right leg,” Real stated.
While the club did not specify the duration of his absence, newspaper Marca reported that Carvajal will be out for around a month, meaning he is likely to miss Barcelona’s visit on 26 October.
Fellow right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and centre-back Antonio Rüdiger are also injured, leaving manager Xabi Alonso short of options in defence. Real’s next fixture will be an away match against Kairat Almaty in the Champions League on Tuesday.
