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Forbes 5mos ago
Real Madrid Team News Vs Bayern Munich: Injury Doubt In Defense
Source:Forbes

Real Madrid will travel to Germany for the Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern ... [+] Munich.

Jude Bellingham was only fit enough for the bench after suffering with a stomach bug, while Rodrygo Goes did not travel north for the La Liga fixture, but both are expected to be fully fit for this match.

Ancelotti made widespread changes for the 1-0 win on Friday, which was rescheduled in order to give Los Blancos an extra 24 hours of rest before taking on Bayern Munich on Tuesday night. The likes of Vinicius Junior, Antonio Rudiger and Fede Valverde made cameo appearances off the bench, while Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham were rested entirely.

That means that the Italian coach has a very fresh squad as they travel to Germany for the first leg of this clash, with the return fixture being played eight days later at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, following a La Liga game against Cadiz on Saturday.

Who will play for Real Madrid at full-back? The biggest doubt for Real Madrid is who will be operating at left-back, as first choice option Ferland Mendy has been absent from training for the past week, missing both the Clasico win over Barcelona and Friday night's victory against Real Sociedad.

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Speaking ahead of the trip to San Sebastian to take on Real Sociedad, Ancelotti seemed optimistic that he could be in contention for the trip to Germany, saying, "Mendy won't be available, I would prefer him to stay here to work and be back for the Champions League", though it remains to be seen how fit he will be.

The Italian has often preferred Eduardo Camavinga to Fran Garcia as second choice in that position for big games like this one, though Garcia did impress against Real Sociedad on Friday. If there is any doubt about Mendy's fitness, it will be Ancelotti's biggest selection decision.

The only other position to cause him some thought could be in the heart of defence, where Antonio Rudiger could be partnered by either Nacho Fernandez, Aurelien Tchouameni or Eder Militao, who completed his first 90 minutes of the season on Friday.

Ancelotti is most likely to revert to what he believes to be his strongest team, with Tchouameni dropping into defence, but the strong performance from Nacho in Manchester and Militao's return to fitness will force Ancelotti to consider his options.

Real Madrid injury and suspension news against Bayern Munich Ancelotti will be without one key player in the form of right-back Dani Carvajal, as he will serve a suspension for picking up his third yellow card of the season in the quarter-final second leg against Manchester City.

UEFA's rules mean that no player is at risk of missing the second leg in Madrid if they collect a yellow card, and so the only players who could be absent through suspension would be those who see a red card.

The only player definitively ruled out due to injury is former Bayern defender David Alaba, who will not be available for the return to his previous club. Thibaut Courtois is also highly unlikely to feature, though he could return from a season-long injury against Cadiz in La Liga action this weekend.

Real Madrid's expected line-up against Bayern Munich Expected line-up for Real Madrid against Bayern Munich: Andriy Lunin; Lucas Vazquez, Antonio Rudiger, Aurelien Tchouameni, Ferland Mendy; Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos, Fede Valverde, Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior.

One certainty is that Lucas Vazquez will replace Dani Carvajal following his excellent display in the Clasico with a goal, an assist and winning a penalty as the perfect preparation for this trip to Munich.

The fitness of Mendy will likely have a domino effect on this side, as his absence could mean a rejig with Eduardo Camavinga moving to left-back, Aurelien Tchouameni moving to midfield and Nacho coming in.

Players like Brahim Diaz, Joselu and Luka Modric have made a real impact off the bench and could be called upon again here by Carlo Ancelotti.