Despite suffering a severe head injury in Tuesday night’s Champions League draw against Shakhtar Donetsk, Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger has not been ruled out of playing in this weekend’s Clasico against Barcelona.
Rudiger and Shakhtar goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin got into a sickening head-to-head brawl that left Rudiger bleeding. His right eye was completely bandaged, and due to how much the wound swelled after being stitched up, he was unable to see out of it.
According to Marca, the German international’s right eye is still unable to fully open as of Thursday. Rudiger might be available for the Clasico at the Bernabeu on Sunday if his eye can fully open by then and he doesn’t experience any vision-related issues.
If his eye is deemed healthy enough to play, it is expected that he will do so while wearing a protective mask. It is said that he will be shown a variety of designs so he can choose the one that best suits his requirements.
Naturally, Rudiger is said to be eager to “play at all costs.”
Rudiger would be playing in his first Clasico and his first season with Real Madrid.