Real Madrid interim head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has confirmed the return to match fitness of Jude Bellingham and Eder Militao ahead of their crucial UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich on 7 April.
In his pre-match press conference, Arbeloa praised the Brazilian defender, who has been injured since early December. Militao pulled a hamstring during the La Liga clash with Celta Vigo, forcing him to leave the field.
“It’s a game-changing game and we’re excited to have him back,” Arbeloa said ahead of the match against RCD Mallorca, as quoted by Yahoo Sports. “When he’s fit, he’ll definitely be the best centre-back in the world. I haven’t had the chance to train him yet, but he’s a sensational centre-back. His ability and leadership will help us immensely.”
Militao has an injury history, suffering a torn cruciate ligament in 2023 and 2024. With his return, Madrid’s backline will have one less thing to worry about. Both Ferland Mendy and Raul Asencio are expected to be declared eligible.
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In addition, Arbeloa expressed his satisfaction that all his players have returned from the international break without any problems.
“Fortunately, the foreign players have come back healthy and that is the primary goal. It was a very positive break for most of them because they were getting game time,” he added.
However, Arbeloa admitted that Jude’s call-up to the England national team surprised him. The England midfielder has also been struggling with a hamstring injury which he picked up in Los Blancos’ 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in February 2026. However, Jude did not feature in England’s two warm-up matches against Uruguay and Japan.
“His case was a bit unusual because he played a few minutes against Atletico, but Tuchel has now decided against it. They didn’t want to take any chances. Jude is smart enough to have good training sessions and he is ready to help tomorrow. We need him to get back to match fitness.”
Real Madrid are currently second in La Liga, four points behind arch-rivals Barcelona (73) and face Mallorca on Saturday ahead of their all-important midweek game against Bayern Munich.
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Published on:
03 Apr 2026 20:18 IST
