Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti will not have Aurelien Tchouameni at his disposal for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The versatile France international was cautioned for the third time in the 2024-25 tournament during the last-16 second-leg success over Atletico Madrid, thus incurring a one-match European suspension.
However, the reigning champions will only have to work around the one banned player as opposed to five, as Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, Dani Ceballos and Vinicius Junior escaped with fines after a UEFA investigation into their conduct against Atletico.
With Tchouameni missing, Rudiger ought to be joined by Raul Asencio in defence; the young Spaniard has started every knockout game so far and has our vote to edge out David Alaba for a coveted starting place.
Asencio and Rudiger should be protecting number one Thibaut Courtois, who missed Saturday’s shock 2-1 La Liga loss to Valencia with a muscular problem, but Ancelotti expects the Belgian to be fine for the first leg.
The same goes for experienced left-back Ferland Mendy, while Lucas Vazquez is likely to get the nod on the right-hand side, allowing Federico Valverde to operate in a double pivot with Eduardo Camavinga.
Ancelotti has few concerns in the final third, though, meaning that the fearsome quartet of Jude Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo will be tasked with terrorising a depleted Arsenal defence.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe
> Click here to see how Arsenal could line up for Tuesday’s game
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