Bellingham ‘OK’ for Barcelona match
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti claimed star midfielder Jude Bellingham is “OK” after being replaced in the 89th minute of their 2-1 Champions League triumph over Braga on Tuesday night.
Bellingham scored Madrid’s second goal of the night to help seal the victory, which keeps them atop Group C with nine points after three games, ahead of Saturday’s Clasico against Barcelona in LaLiga.
Rodrygo put Madrid ahead in the 16th minute with a shot from inside the area, his first goal since August, following a run down the left flank by Vincius Jnior, and Bellingham doubled the lead in the 61st with a low effort into the far corner.
“He is OK,” Ancelotti said when asked why Bellingham had been substituted. “His adductors are a bit charged because the pitch was a bit soft. But nothing special. He will recover. He is OK. He is a bit tired, like everybody else. But that’s normal.”
“It’s normal to suffer a little in away matches,” said Vinícius, who assisted on Bellingham’s goal. “But we played well and scored the goals with the chances we created. And could’ve scored even more. We have to keep this run going after having won the first three matches.”
Bellingham, 20, has never gone a game without scoring for Real Madrid. For the second season in a row, the Englishman has scored in each of the first three Champions League matchdays, having done so with Borussia Dortmund in 2022-23.
He dictated the tempo of the game in midfield, allowing Madrid to dominate early on. Braga, who had won five consecutive games in all competitions, had no shots on goal in the first half.
The LaLiga leaders will now prepare for their first match against Barcelona this season, with Madrid leading the Catalans by one point after ten games.
“I have a clear idea,” Ancelotti said about Madrid’s approach for Saturday’s game. “After this game, it is pretty clear what we want to do. And that is to try to win. To do all we can to try to win. We have time to prepare. Today I changed the line-up a bit, because some players were a bit sore. [David] Alaba is back from an injury.
“The same for [Ferland] Mendy. It could have been risky, but the substitute players did very well. I liked a lot [Eduardo] Camavinga as a pivot. He played a great game. We will arrive in great spirits at this next important match.”
