Nacho Fernandez’s late red card against Girona leaves Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti with serious headache | OneFootball

Real Madrid’s comprehensive 3-0 victory over Girona saw a fantastic performance from Carlo Ancelotti’s players. With the result also seeing them rise to the top of the La Liga, it was a perfect evening for Los Blancos. Well, almost.

The only blemish was the red card shown to captain Nacho Fernandez. The veteran was sent off for a wild challenge on Portu, one that he cannot have any complaints about. He was booked initially, but VAR upgraded the punishment from yellow to red.

Nacho’s wild decision has left Ancelotti with a serious predicament. Eder Militao is already out injured, while David Alaba also recently suffered a muscle issue. Nacho is now likely to be banned for at least two matches, meaning that Antonio Rudiger is Real Madrid’s only senior centre-back.

Ancelotti has spoken in the past of using players out of position in central defence, picking out Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy as possible options. He also has Marvel, the 20-year-old that has trained with the first team in recent weeks.

It is a predicament that Ancelotti will have to solve by next weekend, which sees Real Madrid face off against Osasuna. Alaba may be back by then, but it does not look likely at this stage.