Real Madrid will be without Rodrygo for some of the biggest La Liga and Champions League matches of the season.
Rodrygo is the latest Real Madrid player sidelined with an injury. The winger was forced to come off the pitch against Borussia Dortmund in the 85th minute after picking up an undisclosed problem. Further tests confirmed the 23-year-old sustained an injury to the biceps femoris muscle in his right thigh.
Rodrygo previously suffered from back discomfort during the Madrid derby on Sept. 29 and only played limited minutes for Los Blancos until the Champions League fixture on Oct. 22. The Brazilian returned to the starting lineup for the first time in just under a month and now is back on the sidelines.
Rodrygo is not expected to return for Los Blancos until after the November international break, leaving Carlo Ancelotti without one of his best forwards for the action-packed schedule ahead of Real Madrid.
JOIN SI SOCCER'S REAL MADRID WHATSAPP COMMUNITY - GET ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND ANALYSIS STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE
How Many Games Will Rodrygo Miss for Real Madrid?
Rodrygo will likely miss four matches for Real Madrid. The Brazilian's injury will keep him on the sidelines against Barcelona, Valencia, AC Milan and Osasuna.
Losing Rodrygo for El Clásico is a major blow for Los Blancos, especially with all the other injuries plaguing Ancelotti's squad. Real Madrid will also be without Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba and Dani Carvajal for the biggest match of the season.
Missing El Clásico is bad enough, but the 23-year-old will be unavailable for Real Madrid's final Champions League clash before the international break as well. After dropping three points to Lille, the defending European champions cannot afford any more blunders and Milan, led by USMNT captain Christian Pulisic, presents a strong challenge.
Even Real Madrid's match against Osasuna on Nov. 9 could be tricky considering Vicente Moreno's men handed Barcelona its first La Liga loss under Hansi Flick.
Without Rodrygo, Los Blancos will have to heavily rely on Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé over the next three weeks. On paper, two of the best players in the world should be able to lead Real Madrid to victory, but it is no secret the team has struggled this season to produce in front of goal.
Real Madrid will miss Rodrygo's pace and versatility on the right-wing, especially in the Champions League where he scored five goals in the team's winning campaign last season.
READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Many Games Will Rodrygo Miss for Real Madrid?.
