With Bellingham still out, Real Madrid now waits on extent of injury to Díaz

There's no end to Real Madrid's injury woes this season.

The same night coach Carlo An‐ celotti apparently found a solu‐ tion to the absence of Jude Bellingham — with Brahim Díaz playing well and being decisive as his substitute — Díaz himself became the latest Madrid player to go down with an injury.

Díaz had to be replaced with a calf problem in the 84th minute of Madrid's 1‐0 victory at Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday. He had scored Madrid's winner in the 48th after a beauti‐ ful solo run that culminated with a left‐footed shot into the top cor‐ ner. Díaz left the field with his calf wrapped in ice and was expected to undergo further testing on Thursday to find out the extent of the injury. Ancelotti said Díaz also had a knock on his ankle.

"I felt a little knock and I think that it affected my calf muscle," Díaz said after the match.

"We still don't know anything about the injury, but I'm walking and I think it was more of a scare than anything."

Díaz started because Belling‐ ham, one of Madrid's best players this season, sprained his left ankle in the team's 4‐0 win over Girona in the Spanish league on Saturday. The England interna‐ tional is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks.

The return match against Leipzig in the round of 16 of the Champions League will be on March 6.

Díaz celebrated his goal with his arms spread wide open, imitating Bellingham's trademark celebra‐ tion. Ancelotti had already lost key players even before the sea‐ son started, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and defender Éder Militão sustaining knee liga‐ ment injuries.

Central defender David Alaba also hurt a knee ligament last year, and most recently it was Antonio Rüdiger who depleted the Madrid defense.

The club decided not to bring in another central defender during the latest transfer window that closed in January, forcing An‐ celotti to improvise in the middle of the defense with either mid‐ fielder Aurélien Tchouaméni or right back Dani Carvajal.

Tchouaméni himself was side‐ lined by injury this season, as were defender Nacho Fernández, left back Ferland Mendy, forward Vinícius Júnior and midfielders Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Güler.

Díaz said Madrid's performance against Leipzig without some of its injured players "showed that we are still a good team, that we are Real Madrid."

If Díaz can't play in Belling‐ ham's place while he is out, An‐ celotti will have to likely choose to go either with a more defen‐ sive midfielder or include striker Joselu in the attack while bring‐ ing back a forward like Rodrygo.