The absences of the starting goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, of three center backs of the four injured – with Nacho Fernández having just recovered for the event – plus Jude Bellingham as a differential factor, mark the return of Real Madrid to the Champions League, alerted by the warning that Leipzig gave him in the group stage of the last edition, but also with irrefutable firmness with Carlo Ancelotti in the round of 16.
With the peace of mind that comes with having half of the EA Sports LaLiga in his pocket, after starting the countdown to becoming champion, after beating Girona in the duel for leadership and seeing the collapse of his direct rivals, Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid, Real Madrid returns to its favorite ground, the ‘Champions’.
Exultant for the group’s performance in need. Overcoming each of the losses along the way since the beginning of the course, no matter how important they have been, Carlo Ancelotti once again faces a test of difficulty. Without the goalkeeper who makes the difference. Without centers. Without Bellingham, the footballer who is making history in his first year in white with 20 goals, in an unprecedented football mutation of a midfielder upon his arrival at Real Madrid.
Forced to innovate, ‘Carletto’ must resolve several questions. The first in goal, where Andriy Lunin has settled but the Italian coach has maintained the discourse of rotation in competitions. It should be Kepa Arrizabalaga’s turn but he must manage to assess the performance or health of the group. Continuing with a defense without leaders in the center due to the knee injuries of Èder Militao and David Alaba. Due to the untimely muscle injury of Antonio Rüdiger.
Everything points to the continuity of Aurélien Tchouaméni in a position to which he has adapted well in the emergency. And the return of Dani Carvajal to the side. By centimeters and by performance. With Nacho starting despite being far from the best version of him, after overcoming a slight muscle problem.
The size that a midfield is acquiring with Toni Kroos in command, Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde as perfect squires, makes them indisputable. The system depends on Bellingham’s substitute. The natural replacement is Brahim Díaz as a playmaker, but Ancelotti is studying the option of including Joselu Mato as a pure 9. He plans a possible return to 4-3-3 as a variant.
Ancelotti, the competition’s most successful coach, ensures Real Madrid’s success in the round of 16. With him in charge the round was always overcome, despite the fact that PSG and Liverpool were the last to cross paths. Since 2019, when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City was the executioner, the Madrid team has not fallen in the first round. It comes after a plethora of group victories as a sign of the power of a team that once again has a strong chance of becoming champion.
Madrid’s total balance in the second round of the Champions League, since a change in format that disappears with this edition, is twelve wins and eight losses. They bring to mind those six years of curse. Fresher in memory is the intensity that Real Madrid lacked at the Red Bull Arena during last year’s group stage visit. It is Ancelotti’s warning to his players to join in the effort, as they did against Girona, in the difficulty.
RB Leipzig is different, yes. He arrives at the game in a phase in which the results are not being given and in which he has ended up staying out of the Champions League positions in the ‘Bundesliga’ for the moment.
In the last four games, Leipzig has achieved only one victory, one draw and two defeats, against Stuttgart (5-2) and Bayer Leverkusen (2-3). Some of the games, especially the duel against Leverkusen in which they were ahead twice and conceded the losing goal in stoppage time, the game has been better than the results but these begin to accumulate and little by little they begin to become a crisis.
In the last match, against Augsburg (2-2), Leipzig was close to victory but Lois Openda missed a penalty. A situation that contrasts with their participation in the Champions League, only Marcos Rose’s team was surpassed by Manchester City in the two group games, winning the rest to reach the round of 16 for the fourth time in the last five years in a progressive growth.
– Probable alignments:
RB Leipzig: Gulacsi; Henrichs, Klostermann, Orban, Raum; Seiwald, X. Schlager; Dani Olmo, Xavi Simons; Openda y Sesko.
Real Madrid: Kepa o Lunin; Carvajal, Tchouaméni, Nacho, Mendy; Camavinga, Kroos, Fede Valverde, Brahim; Vinícius and Rodrygo.
Referee: Irfan Peljto (Bosnia)
Stadium: Red Bull Arena.
Time: 9.00pm CET (8.00pm GMT). EFE
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