Real Madrid are sweating on fitness of Eduardo Camavinga days out from Champions League semi-final

Real Madrid beat Getafe 1-0 but lost Eduardo Camavinga in the second half to what looked like a knee injury just four days before the trip to the Etihad to face Manchester City.

Ice was placed on Camavinga’s left knee after he appeared to twist it five minutes from time in Madrid’s lackluster but comfortable win over Getafe.

The 20-year-old French international was important for Real Madrid in the first leg by attacking from left-back and he scored Madrid’s goal.

If left out of the second leg, David Alaba would move to left-back and Eder Militao would return to the center of defense for partner Antonio Rudiger who was one of several fully rested key players for this one.

Carlo Ancelotti has selected a reserve squad with only goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, midfielders Camavinga and Fede Valverde, and centre-back Militao on the pitch from the start.

He was seen grimacing and holding an ice pack over his knee in their 1-0 win over Getafe

The midfielder appeared to twist his knee in a nasty looking challenge just before full time

There was no better illustration of this not being Madrid’s priority than the inclusion of Eden Hazard making his first start since September. Karim Benzema wasn’t even on the bench where Vinicius was waiting for his chance sitting alongside Luca Modric and Toni Kroos.

Madrid were up against a Getafe side tearing for their lives down below and it made for a turgid first half with neither side shooting for goal.

Madrid’s best chance in the first half came when Lucas Vazquez took the right and crossed for Asensio but he couldn’t hit the cross. In fact, he didn’t manage a single touch inside the opposition penalty area and neither did Hazard in the first 45 minutes.

Kroos came on on the restart for Ferland Mendy and Modric started to warm up as soon as the game resumed. It was a sign that Ancelotti didn’t like what he saw in the first half any more than the 50,000 inside the Bernabeu.

Hazard was a little sharper and won a free kick on the edge of the box but it was the last thing he did as on the hour mark he was out with Fede Valverde and Dani Ceballos. Mariano Diaz, Modric and Vinicius all came. There were a few whistles for Hazard as he left, but very few – indifference is the dominant emotion among Madrid fans towards a player who, until Jude Bellingham’s arrival this summer – if he does – is still the club’s most expensive signing of all time. .

Vinicius’ first involvement was a mazy run and pass to Modric who missed but he had at least roused the game. At the other end, Courtois also received a wake-up call with Juan Iglesias having Getafe’s first shot on target.

The changes brought the breakthrough and although the new faces had nothing to do with the goal, the introduction of Mariano had at least freed up Asensio to leave nine false spots and brought him back to the right wing of where he drifted down the field to whip out a left foot. fired past David Soria for 1-0. It took a chest deflection from Nemanja Maksimovic but it will always be credited to the Spaniard who has now scored nine goals this season.

Mariano then released Vinicius to score but he was offside as the pass had come too late and the Brazilian was on the wrong end of the last defender. Soria then saved well from a tilted header from Asensio.

But the game was as good as a contest – all the more reason for Madrid to regret Camavinga’s injury if it keeps him out of the second leg.