Real Madrid suffers injury blow on top of Covid crisis

Real Madrid CF is currently in the middle of a full-blown Covid-19 outbreak, with seven members of the team in isolation after testing positive. On top of that, Karim Benzema and Dani Carvajal are still suffering from minor discomforts, and may also be ruled out of Sunday's match against Cadiz in La Liga.

The club's penultimate fixture before the Christmas break kicks off at 21:00 CET at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and manager Carlo Ancelotti has some big decisions to make. Earlier this week, Luka Modric and Marcelo tested positive for Covid-19. Shortly after, Marco Asensio, Rodrygo, Gareth Bale and Andriy Lunin, also returned positive test results. The coaching staff was not spared either, with assistant coach Davide Ancelotti also becoming infected.

Benzema had been a solid presence up front with Vinicius Junior, but in his probable absence Luka Jovic may once again step up. The Serb has had a renaissance of sorts, and will be eager to once again show off what he can do if he has enough time on the pitch. Meanwhile, Vini is firmly on the left, which leaves the right flank in trouble in the absence of Rodrygo, Asensio and Bale.

Eden Hazard may finally get another chance to start, with this being one of his last chances to prove himself before the upcoming transfer window where he is expected to be on the chopping block.

Carvajal has also been a solid starter like Benzema, which means Ancelotti will again go to his second-string players if the Spaniard is unable to start. Lucas Vazquez or Nacho Fernandez could provide cover, with the manager hoping than too many changes won't destabilize the club.

Real Madrid is riding high on a 10-match winning streak, but with eight players potentially out of commission, this will be a true test for their consistency. Earlier in the season, they dropped points on instances when Ancelotti changed up the squad, leading the manager to become more conservative in his rotations.

Now that he is left with no choice, Ancelotti will need to find a way to keep the performance consistent even with the lineup almost completely shaken up.