Camavinga, Nacho start in a 4-3-1-2: How Real Madrid could line up against Man City | OneFootball

In under ten hours, Real Madrid will lock horns with Manchester City as the two sides will battle it out for a place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Real Madrid and Man City played out a 3-3 draw in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie last week, leaving everything to be played for in tonight’s contest at the Etihad Stadium.

Carlo Ancelotti has an almost full-strength squad at his disposal for the match, with only three players being absent.

Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended after receiving his third yellow card of the Champions League in the first leg while David Alaba and Thibaut Courtois are out with injuries.

Ancelotti rotated his troops to an extent over the weekend against RCD Mallorca and will reinstate his regulars into the starting XI tonight at the Etihad Stadium as Real Madrid hope to book a spot in the UCL semi-finals.

Starters

Andriy Lunin is a guaranteed starter in goal for Real Madrid and will once again be in for a stern test against a very dangerous Manchester City outfit.

The Ukrainian international will be shielded by the centre-back pairing of Antonio Rudiger and captain Nacho Fernandez, who will start ahead of Eder Militao in the absence of Aurelien Tchouameni.

A huge test awaits the Real Madrid captain. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Dani Carvajal will return to the starting lineup at right-back after being benched against Mallorca. He will have a battle on his hands against Jack Grealish. Ferland Mendy will feature as usual on the left side of the defence.

Moving into the middle of the park, Eduardo Camavinga becomes the obvious starter as the base of the midfield unit in the absence of Tchouameni.

The French international will have support from Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos as they try and negate the influence of the Manchester City midfield unit possibly comprising Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, and Bernardo Silva.

Jude Bellingham will line up at the tip of the diamond midfield setup for Real Madrid and will hope to have a bigger influence than he managed in the first leg last week.

Up top, Rodrygo Goes is expected to return to the starting XI tomorrow after sitting out against Mallorca due to a knock.

Rodrygo will be partnered by his compatriot Vinicius Jr. in attack, with the latter likely to play more centrally and the former operating more towards the left.

Substitutes

Brahim Diaz will get some minutes in the second half on what will be a return to his former home for the Spaniard.

Luka Modric is another player who is bound to come on at some point in the game, in what could potentially end up being his final Champions League game for Real Madrid if they do not qualify for the semi-finals and he leaves in the summer.

Joselu is also someone Carlo Ancelotti turns to during games to add a different flavour and profile in attack. Fran Garcia could be an option to replace Ferland Mendy if the manager seeks a greater attacking threat from the left side.