After Yesterday’s defeat of Real Madrid against Levante, Eden Hazard, the former Chelsea star is certainly out of the UCL clash against Manchester City.
Real Madrid, for obvious reasons, are already frustrated by their 1-0 defeat to Levante. Eden Hazard’s injury in the 61st minute yesterday added up to their misery. This certainly rules out Hazard from the round of 16 clashes against Manchester City.
The transfer Saga of Hazard
Eden Hazard joined Real Madrid in the summer transfer window of 2019 for a whooping €100 million. He was unveiled in front of 50,000 fans. He already got a legend status in Madrid. Hazard considered this move as a dream come true as it was his dream to play for the Spanish giants since he was a kid. He was later honoured with the number 7 shirt. This honour was legendary in its own sense as it was earlier donned by the likes of Raul Gonzalez and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Injury Factor
Hazard, however, had to wait for his competitive debut till September. His thigh injury during a training session before Los Blancos’ first league match of the season was the culprit. His injury-free phase did not last for long. He fell victim once again while playing against PSG in the league stages of the UCL. He suffered an injury against PSG at the end of November and was subbed off. This injury earlier suggested Hazard be sidelined for the next 10 days. After examining again in a week, the suggestion came in that Hazard had suffered an ‘incomplete external microfracture’ in his right ankle.
The medical experts gave in no return date due to which he had to stay away from the game for 16 matches across 4 competitions. These matches included the El Clasico as well as the Supercopa de Espana victory against Atletico de Madrid. Even after he returned from a long duration out of football, his return on the 16th of February was Short-lived. Just after a few days of his return, he was injured again. Real Madrid confirmed it on their website as a hairline fracture. This confirms his absence for the prolific Man City clash.
The City Scare
The major concern for the Los Blancos, especially in the Round of 16 encounters would be the lack of his amazing skill set when playing against Man City. Eden Hazard, since his arrival at the Bernabeau, is always burdened to fill up the shoes of Cristiano Ronaldo. The number 7 Jersey itself signified the fact. Hazard evidently tries his best to fill up the void. Even though he does not have the best records against Manchester City, his absence would make Real Madrid considerably weak. Moreover, Zidane’s men have been highly inconsistent this season when it comes to the UCL. Nevertheless, this was not highly unexpected of such a formidable team this season. Apart from this, the defeat to Levante yesterday might have affected the morale of a team. The defeat might have affected the team, especially before an important clash against one of the best teams in the world.
Man City are clearly not as good as last season in the premier league with a slump in their form and momentum. But Manchester City has always been on the hunt for the UCL, giving the opponents enough scares to succumb under pressure. The recent UEFA verdict handed over a 2 season ban to Manchester City from competing in European Football. This has made them even more determinant for the Silverware this season. Moreover, the return of Aymeric Laporte from injury has significantly boosted Manchester City’s chances of a victory.
A Real Madrid fan now can only hope for a miracle for Hazard’s recovery. Going as per logic, this fracture rules him out. Not just the Man City clash, but also from next week’s Clasico. Now it is upon the French Wizard’s (Zidane) magic to bring them out of a defeat in the hands of the English giants.
