Bellingham injured, expected to miss several weeks

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham sustained a muscle injury during training, the Spanish club said on Friday, and will miss key games for club and country. The 21-year-old England international, who was a key player last season when Real won the Champions League and La Liga titles, will be sidelined for several weeks, according to club sources.He will miss Sunday’s La Liga clash against Real Valladolid and England’s Nations League matches next month against Ireland and Finland. Real coach Carlo Ancelotti, who usually talks to the media one day before each Real game, decided to change the schedule so he could hold his final training session behind closed doors at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.Ancelotti said his unusual move had nothing to do with Real’s drab performance in a 1-1 draw at Mallorca last weekend which left the usually calm and collected Ancelotti fuming at his players’ effort. "It’s nothing special, I’m doing it just to test the pitch, because it has changed compared to last year. I want the players to try the new pitch to see how they feel there. There is nothing superstitious or anything else behind it,” Ancelotti said.The Italian insisted, however, that he needs a better performance in order to play with four attacking players in Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Bellingham up front and only two conventional midfielders."It was a pretty clear game to evaluate, we lacked balance, it’s not very complicated. There is a clear solution,” Ancelotti said. "With such an attacking team, the forwards have to work a bit harder. We have tried to fix it with a lot of work this week.”Ancelotti expects a warm welcome by Real’s fans for Mbappe’s home debut which is expected to be sold out. "It’s going to be a beautiful day for Mbappe, playing for the first time at the Bernabeu wearing Real’s jersey... The fans are going to enjoy it a lot, I’m sure of that,” Ancelotti said.Barcelona hope to register Olmo for Bilbao clash, says FlickBarcelona hope to have new signing Dani Olmo available against Athletic Bilbao amid the midfielder’s LaLiga registration issues due to Barca’s breach of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, manager Hansi Flick said.Barcelona host Bilbao today after winning 2-1 at Valencia in their La Liga opener. Former Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, one of the top earners at the club, re-signed for Manchester City on Friday, clearing the way for Olmo’s arrival."(The registration) is not my job, we have worked well this week, (Olmo) is ready to play and I hope he will be in the team, that will be very positive for us,” Flick told reporters. "In training he is amazing and it is important to have him as soon as possible.”Flick’s side will be missing Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Frenkie De Jong due to injuries but will welcome back midfielder Fermin Lopez, who rejoins the squad after winning the European Championship and Olympic title with Spain. "From what I see, he will be ready to play. It was important for him to rest after two tournaments,” Flick said.Flick said former Barca midfielder Gundogan had told him he wanted to help the La Liga side but changed his mind. "It happens. At the end, I know him as a person and as a player. He has been a fantastic player for Barcelona and the German national team,” Flick said.Flick was asked about the threat of Bilbao forward Nico Williams, who was superb during Spain’s Euro 20244 run alongside Barca’s Lamine Yamal. "It’s not my job to talk about a player from the opposing team,” he said. "Bilbao are physically very strong and they have a great coach. It will be a tough game.”Fixtures (all times GMT)Saturday: Osasuna v Real Malloca (1500), Barcelona v Athletic Bilbao (1700), Espanyol v Real Sociedad, Getafe v Rayo Vallecano (1930)Sunday: Real Madrid v Real Valladolid (1500), Leganes v Las Palmas (1700), Alaves v Real Betis (1715), Atletico Madrid v Girona (1930)