Real Madrid possible starting XI against Manchester City in Champions League

Carlo’s main question is if Tchouaméni will play with Rüdiger, sending Nacho to the bench.

Real Madrid go up against Manchester City at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (KO 3 p.m. ET/ noon PT.). Ahead of the game, there are plenty of questions for Carlo Ancelotti to consider when it comes to naming his starting XI.

As for the aforementioned doubt, it sits over the centre-back position, where everything points to Tchouameni starting over Nacho. Despite this feeling ahead of the game, Ancelotti did not want to put an end to the rumour mill and say who will be Rüdiger’s companion: the 50-50% split between Nacho and Aurélien has since started to shift in favour of the Frenchman.

Tchouaméni’s strong performances as a centre-back support him: Madrid have never lost with a Rüdiger-Tchouaméni partnership, reinforcing him as a starter.The presence of Tchouaméni in defense, in addition to relegating Nacho to the bench, would allow Camavinga to play as the pivot.

The alternative would be for Nacho to play alongside Rüdiger... something that would stir the waters of a debate about whether the midfielder should be Tchouaméni or Camavinga. Of the three players mentioned, only two can play.

The rest of the team practically picks itself, something which the coach acknowledged: “I don’t think we’ll do strange things, no... It could be... No. I’m not going to tell you anything about the line-up, don’t worry. There might be one change, but otherwise it’s quite clear” Ancelotti said ahead of the game.

That position the Italian hinted at is left centre-back, where Tchouaméni holds the lead. However, Madrid must be careful, as Camavinga, Bellingham and Vinicius, would not be available to play in Manchester if they see a