Real Madrid defeated Marseille to begin their 2025–26 Champions League season on the right foot. Nevertheless, Los Blancos now have a massive problem moving forward surrounding the right back position.

Dani Carvajal, who entered the game against Marseille five minutes after Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered an apparent hamstring injury, was sent off in the 72nd minute.

Real Madrid’s captain was exchanging words with Marseille goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli and then proceeded to clash heads with the Argentine.

Match referee Ifran Peljto originally didn’t see what happened, but VAR called him to review the action. After seeing what Carvajal did, he returned and showed him a straight red card in the 72nd minute.

Los Blancos managed to score the winner through Kylian Mbappé from the penalty spot, but the real issue will be what happens moving forward.

Xabi Alonso will almost certainly be without both Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold in Real Madrid’s visit to Kairat Almaty on Sept. 30. There’s currently no other natural right back on Real Madrid’s roster.

This situation could force Alonso to deploy the versatile Fede Valverde at right back in their next Champions League match. Following a 2024–25 season where Valverde and many other Real Madrid players were forced to routinely play out of position, the trend seems destined to continue. Dropping Valverde into defense will also force him to change up his midfield selection.

While Madrid will still be favored to defeat Kairat Almaty, both the injury and suspension come in the wake of Dean Huijsen getting sent off in La Liga. Alonso must mix and match lineups across both competitions for a couple weeks looking to avoid dropping points along the way.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dani Carvajal Creates Massive Headache for Xabi Alonso Despite Champions League Win.

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