Valverde likely to miss Rayo Vallecano clash

Real Madrid, after a day of rest following its victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League derby, returned to training to prepare for the match against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Sunday (16:15 CET, -1 GMT) in a training session in which Fede Valverde again trained individually without going out on the pitch in order to recover his best form.

The Uruguayan, after playing 83 minutes in the derby after not having played in the previous three matches due to a muscle discomfort, follows a specific plan to overcome these problems and play without having to force, as he did against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.

As 'EFE' was able to learn from club sources, Valverde will be at 100% for the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 next Wednesday at the Metropolitano and his participation on Sunday against Rayo Vallecano will depend on what he agrees with his coach, Carlo Ancelotti.

The club says that the Uruguayan could play on Sunday without any problem, but that the main objective is for him to recover his full physical condition for the upcoming matches. For this reason, Valverde carried out a specific plan on Thursday without taking to the pitch, with physiotherapy treatments, swimming pool and gym.

With the Uruguayan working apart and the injury absences of Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, each with serious knee injuries, and Dani Ceballos and Jesus Vallejo, with muscular injuries, Ancelotti began working with his available players for Sunday's La Liga EA Sports match against Rayo Vallecano.

A match for which Jude Bellingham will return, having completed his two-match ban in La Liga for his dismissal in Pamplona and in the Champions League for accumulation of yellow cards.