Casemiro out against Athletic Bilbao with suspension

Real Madrid will be without midfielder Carlos Casemiro when they face Athletic Bilbao in San Mames next Wednesday. Casemiro saw his fifth yellow card during Madrid’s 0-0 draw against Cadiz and therefore he will be suspended when Los Blancos visit Bilbao.

Casemiro is an undisputed starter in Real Madrid’s midfield and even more so in tough matches where the team might not be able to control the tempo of the game. Without him, Camavinga and Valverde will compete for the starting spot as defensive midfielder, but Ancelotti might not even have a choice if Luka Modric isn’t cleared to play after testing negative for Covid-19 last Friday.

Camavinga played some positive minutes as the team’s defensive midfielder during Real Madrid’s convincing win against Real Sociedad, so he will likely be Ancelotti’s chosen one to play in Casemiro’s spot when Los Blancos face Athletic. If that’s the case, Camavinga will have a good opportunity to prove that he can make an impact even if he’s not a natural defensive midfielder.