Carlo Ancelotti has revealed his Real Madrid side will be without one of their key players for next weekend’s Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund.
Madrid are set to travel to Wembley in search of their 15th European Cup, having seen off Manchester City and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages.
However, they will be missing a regular starter for the June 1 showdown due to an injury picked up earlier this month.
French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has been ruled out, and Ancelotti also admitted he is facing a race against time to be ready for Euro 2024.
‘He is doing individual work but he is not ready for the final,’ Ancelotti said on Friday at a press conference ahead of Madrid’s final LaLiga match against Real Betis on Saturday.
Aurelien Tchouameni (second left) will not play in next weekend’s Champions League final
Carlo Ancelotti revealed he has failed to recover from injury in time and faces a race to be fit for the Euros
‘Let’s see if he’s ready for the Euros.’
Tchouameni, 24, has not featured for Madrid since picking up a foot injury in their second leg semi-final victory against Bayern on May 8.
Madrid have picked up seven points from their last three matches without him, but it is still a significant blow for the Spanish champions ahead of their biggest game of the season.
Tchouameni has featured in 38 games across all competitions in 2023-24, scoring three goals and providing a single assist.
But it is his defensive discipline in front of the back four that will be sorely missed, with Ancelotti set to be forced to tweak his preferred starting line-up.
His injury setback is also likely to be a concern for France manager Didier Deschamps, with Tchouameni being a mainstay in his midfield when fit.
The Euros are just three weeks away, and Tchouameni is unlikely to have had much game time at all heading into the tournament.
The uncertainty surrounding his fitness could open the door for N’Golo Kante to play a bigger role in the team than expected, after the former Chelsea midfielder was recalled to the squad for the first time in two years last week.
