Real Madrid has raised the alarms once again just hours before a key Champions League match. What was already a complicated week due to Thibaut Courtois’ illness worsened on Tuesday with another absence: Dean Huijsen will also be unavailable for the trip to Olympiakos on Matchday 5. For Xabi Alonso, the defensive puzzle has reached critical levels right before a decisive away match.

Courtois and Huijsen, last-minute, high-impact absences

Tuesday began with bad news in Valdebebas. The club confirmed that Courtois could not train due to a bout of gastroenteritis and is undergoing treatment, with hopes he can return for Sunday’s league match against Girona. But his absence wasn’t the only one.

During the same session, Dean Huijsen was also missing from group training. The 20-year-old center-back is dealing with knee pain following the match against Elche, discomfort that has not subsided and forced the staff to rule him out for the trip to Greece.

The young defender’s absence leaves Xabi Alonso with almost no room to maneuver. With Antonio Rüdiger still not fit to compete and David Alaba and Éder Militão out for weeks, the only natural center-back available is Raúl Asencio. Everything else will require tactical improvisation.

An improvised backline and seven absences that shape everything

The plan points toward Aurélien Tchouaméni dropping back once again as an improvised center-back, a role he has already fulfilled out of necessity. Ahead of him could appear Eduardo Camavinga, who has also been used in multiple roles whenever the squad runs thin. Another option under consideration is shifting Álvaro Carreras into an interior role, leaving the left-back spot for Ferland Mendy or Fran García.

The defensive crisis has reached worrying numbers: seven players are sidelined, six of them defenders. Alongside the aforementioned absences, Dani Carvajal is also injured, and Argentine midfielder Franco Mastantuono remains sidelined due to pubalgia. The situation is reminiscent of last season, when Carlo Ancelotti had to survive with a patched-up backline and emergency solutions.

The accumulation of injuries is no coincidence. According to Marca, Madrid has endured more than 55 physical setbacks involving defenders in the past three years. Far from improving, the trend continues to worsen.

The context doesn’t help either: the team arrives winless in its last three matches and urgently needs to break the negative streak in a traditionally hostile setting like Athens. With a makeshift defense and a home-strong opponent, the challenge for the league leaders will be enormous.

The ball will roll tomorrow in Greece, and the LaLiga leaders will be fighting for more than just three points: they’ll be fighting to maintain authority in Europe despite an injury list that refuses to ease.