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Real Madrid's Eden Hazard Has Bruised Ankle, Won't Miss Clasico vs. Barcelona
November 27, 2019
Eden Hazard has been diagnosed with perimalleolar bruising in his injured ankle and will be out for about 10 days, per Real Madrid.
Santiago Siguero of Marca shared the news from the club, noting that Hazard can return in about 10 days and will be fit for the Clasico on December 18 against Barcelona.
Hazard suffered the injury during Real Madrid's 2-2 UEFA Champions League draw with Paris Saint-Germain.
Hazard walked off the pitch after a clash with Belgian compatriot Thomas Meunier. After the contest, manager Zinedine Zidane told reporters the forward had sprained his ankle, per Football Espana: "There is a little worry over Hazard at full-time. He was in pain at full-time, and we think it is more than an impact injury. It is a sprained ankle, but hopefully not a severe sprain. We will know more in the coming days."
The 28-year-old had enjoyed a fine outing until he suffered the injury, and Los Blancos were leading 1-0 thanks to a goal from Karim Benzema when he came off. The Frenchman netted a second, but goals from Kylian Mbappe and Pablo Sarabia earned the visitors a draw.
In his 68 minutes on the pitch, Hazard made a big impact:
The former Chelsea man needed some time to settle after making the move to the Spanish capital.
He recently told L'Equipe (h/t AS) he didn't arrive in Madrid in the best shape:
According to Football Espana, the initial timetable for his return was set at two weeks, which would see Hazard miss La Liga contests against Deportivo Alaves and Espanyol, as well as the trip to Belgian side Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Los Blancos will be hoping he doesn't miss any additional time, with difficult visits to Valencia and Barcelona on the schedule after that. El Clasico on December 18 is particularly important, pitting La Liga's current co-leaders against each other.
Gareth Bale replaced the Belgian on Tuesday and hit the post with a late free-kick (U.S. viewers only):
He could move back into the starting XI and have the chance to win back some of the fans and media members who were seemingly angry with his conduct during the last international break, celebrating with a "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order" flag.