At a glance
- After coming on as a substitute in the 2-1 defeat to Mallorca, Jude Bellingham is also expected to be benched for Real Madrid’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg meeting with Bayern Munich.
- Scoring in Son Moix, Eder Militao could get the nod from Alvaro Arbeloa.
- Falling seven points behind FC Barcelona in the title race, the manager is now fighting to keep his job by delivering in Europe.
Jude Bellingham will start Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg clash with Bayern Munich on the bench for Real Madrid. Simultaneously, Eder Militao should get the nod for the continental clash at the Bernabeu.
As part of a triple substitution, both men came on alongside Vinicius Jr. on the hour mark against Mallorca at the weekend.
While Bellingham replaced Eduardo Camavinga, who Madrid are open to selling because of his part in Mallorca’s first goal, Militao triggered Dean Huijsen’s exit as Vinicius provoked Manuel Angel’s exit.
Neither of the more attacking players came up with much in the 2-1 defeat, which in turn contributed to FC Barcelona heading seven points clear at the top of the table.
Yet Militao’s impact was definitely felt as he scored a late equaliser. Due to Trent-Alexander Arnold and Alvaro Carreras switching off at the back, however, it wasn’t enough to save a point as Verdat Muriqi smashed home the winner on 91 minutes.
Militao looks certain to start for Real Madrid against Bayern
Convincing Alvaro Arbeloa of his quality after returning from a December hamstring tear, Militao is now expected to partner Antonio Rudiger against his countrymen Bayern according to OK Diario.
That’s bad news for Huijsen, who though improving as of late has been criticised for his displays since a high-profile €50 million move from Bournemouth last summer.
This might be an indicator that Arbeloa trusts a veteran pair more in the heart of the back line, though he also continues to put his faith in youth and former Castilla charges by taking a punt on Thiago Pitarch against Bayern.
Bellingham will start the last eight meeting as a substitute, and its Aurelien Tchouameni as the pivot yet Pitarch and Fede Valverde more advanced with both the Englishman and Camavinga overlooked.
Rather than this be a punishment for his displays, however, Bellingham won’t be in the starting XI because of a lack of match fitness which he’ll want to sharpen post-haste in a vital part of the season.
