Real Madrid dealt Antonio Rüdiger injury blow ahead of Marseille clash | OneFootball

Real Madrid will be without Antonio Rüdiger (31) for the next three months after the German defender picked up a serious muscle injury during the international break – ruling him out of Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with Olympique de Marseille.

The club confirmed that Rüdiger suffered a lesion of the anterior muscle in his left leg while on duty with Germany, having featured in their World Cup qualifying wins against Slovakia (2-0) and Northern Ireland (3-1). The setback means he will not feature again until December at the earliest.

Since the start of La Liga, the former Chelsea centre-back has only appeared once, playing 90 minutes against newly-promoted Oviedo, with Xabi Alonso rotating heavily in search of his preferred defensive partnership. Against Marseille, Madrid are now expected to line up with Éder Militão and 19-year-old summer signing Dean Huijsen at centre-back.

The injury news comes as Marseille prepare for their long-awaited Champions League return. Roberto De Zerbi’s side hosted Lorient on Friday in Ligue 1, resting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of the trip to the Bernabéu, while Amine Gouiri’s fitness remains uncertain after he was forced off before half-time following a clash with Bamo Meïté.GFFN | George Boxall