His last match was on December 17, 2023. Recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, David Alaba is about to make his big return to competition. The 32-year-old Austrian defender is in Real Madrid 's squad to face Real Mallorca in the Spanish Super Cup on Thursday, January 9 (8 p.m.).

Objective January 19

The probability of him being on the pitch for this match is not very high, however. Carlo Ancelotti recently made it known that the real target for his return was set for January 19, the date of the league match scheduled at the Bernabéu against Las Palmas. If the tests are conclusive, the player could also claim minutes in the Champions League, first against RB Salzburg (01/22) and against Stade Brestois (01/29).

David Alaba was seriously injured by a bad step during a LaLiga match against Villarreal (4-1 victory). This unavailability made him miss 59 matches. Before that, his longest absence was three months. It dates back to the 2012-2013 season with Bayern Munich.

This big return promises to be a relief for Carlo Ancelotti, forced to field Aurélien Tchouaméni in central defence given that Eder Militão is also absent.