Eduardo Camavinga will return to the Real Madrid starting lineup against Arsenal for the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Emirates.
Real Madrid will aim to take a step closer to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals when they lock horns with Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday. Carlo Ancelotti has a new roster issue to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Aurelien Tchouameni is not in the travelling squad as he will serve a suspension due to the accumulation of yellow cards. The French international has joined Andriy Lunin (calf), Dani Carvajal (knee), Ferland Mendy (hamstring), Eder Militao (knee), and Dani Ceballos (muscular) on the sidelines.
While Lunin and Mendy are closing in on returning to action, Tuesday’s game has come too soon for the duo. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti provided a fitness update on Raul Asencio. In addition, the Italian tactician discussed Federico Valverde’s position and the recent discourse around Vinicius Junior.
The Real Madrid manager said, “It’s very difficult to always be 100%. It’s impossible. We’ve had a lot of injuries and that has made the rotations more difficult, which are more necessary than usual at the moment. We rested Asencio because he was exhausted after the match against Real Sociedad.”
Speaking about Valverde’s position, Ancelotti said, “He does a lot of things well, including at full-back and in the centre. We’ll think about where he’s going to contribute most to the team.”
Meanwhile, the Real Madrid manager continued on Vinicius Junior by saying, “I haven’t spoken to him and I don’t need to. I know full well that maybe he could’ve played better against Valencia, but when he thinks he hasn’t played well the next game he plays very well and I’m convinced he’s going to play well tomorrow.”
Thibaut Courtois is fit and available; the Belgian international will return to the away side’s starting lineup against Arsenal on Tuesday. The backline should feature Lucas Vazquez, Eduardo Camavinga, Antonio Rudiger, and David Alaba.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Federico Valverde and Luka Modric. Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham are automatic picks on the flanks, while Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe will pair up in the final third.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Valverde, Modric, Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe
