Champions League: Real Madrid encounter problems ahead

Preparations for their Champions League encounter versus RB Leipzig has hit a snag for Real Madrid as their team bus was involved in a road mishap prior to the highly anticipated clash.

The incident occurred on Monday as Los Blancos were en route to the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, where they were scheduled to face the Bundesliga side on Tuesday night.

However, unforeseen circumstances disrupted their journey when a strike at the airport forced their flight to be diverted to Erfurt instead of Leipzig.

Undeterred by the setback, the team embarked on a 100-mile drive to Leipzig. However, their journey was marred by another mishap when the bus collided with a white Toyota, as reported by German daily BILD.

Fortunately, despite sustaining damage exceeding £2,000, no injuries were reported among Real Madrid’s star-studded squad, with only minor scratches to the bus’s driver’s side.

Despite the ordeal, the team eventually arrived at Leipzig’s downtown Steigenberger team hotel at approximately 3 p.m. German time, albeit with one notable absence.

Jude Bellingham, the club’s wonderkid, did not disembark from the bus and was subsequently excluded from the team for the match.

Bellingham’s absence was attributed to an ankle injury sustained during Real Madrid’s recent 4-0 victory over Girona, in which the talented midfielder scored two goals.

However, speculation regarding his availability for the Champions League clash arose, especially with comments from Leipzig manager Marco Rose, who expressed doubts about the severity of Bellingham’s injury.

“I don’t believe he’ll be out until he’s not in the stadium tomorrow. I know Jude, he will do everything to play the Champions League game. He might see other doctors today in order to be fit. I’ve read a lot but we’ll see if he’s here or not,” remarked Rose during the pre-match press conference.