Just when things couldn’t get worse for Real Madrid, Austrian defender David Alaba has suffered a muscle injury in the adductor of his left leg.

"Following tests carried out on our player David Alaba by Real Madrid’s medical staff, he has been diagnosed with an adductor injury in his left leg," the club announced in an official statement.

How Long Will Alaba Be Out?

According to club sources consulted by EFE, Alaba is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks. This means he will miss the Copa del Rey quarterfinal clash against Leganés, the LaLiga fixtures against Atlético Madrid and Osasuna, and Real Madrid’s preliminary knockout round tie against Manchester City in the revamped Champions League format.

This setback comes in the same leg where Alaba previously suffered a devastating ACL injury, which kept him off the pitch for 399 days.

The Austrian made his long-awaited return on January 19, playing the final 14 minutes of Madrid’s dominant 4-1 victory over UD Las Palmas. He then featured for 26 minutes in the Champions League thrashing of Salzburg (5-1) and played 22 minutes in Madrid’s comfortable 3-0 win in Valladolid.

Defensive Crisis for Ancelotti

Alaba’s injury further complicates Carlo Ancelotti’s defensive problems. The coach is already without Éder Militão, who remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury, and Antonio Rüdiger, who picked up a right hamstring injury in Saturday’s match against Espanyol.

This leaves Ancelotti with very few options. His only available center-backs are academy player Raúl Asencio—who has a youth team registration but is effectively part of the first team—and Aurélien Tchouaméni, a natural midfielder who has been forced to play as a makeshift defender. Meanwhile, Jesús Vallejo, the only fully fit senior center-back, remains out of Ancelotti’s plans.

With crucial games ahead, Madrid’s defensive crisis could not have come at a worse time.