At a glance
- Real Madrid’s Galacticos era icon Figo wants to see Jude Bellingham start Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Bayern Munich.
- With Aurelien Tchouameni suspended, head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has to make a key decision in midfield.
Real Madrid legend Luis Figo insisted that Jude Bellingham “always has to be on the pitch” ahead of Los Blancos’ vital Champions League quarterfinal second leg clash against Bayern Munich.
Los Blancos are up against it in the Allianz. Trailing 2-1 thanks to a loss by that margin in the Bernabeu, they have to at least score one and not concede again in order to force extra time.
“Without a doubt it’s a difficult tie and the 1-2 is a difficult result to turn around. But if there is a team with the greatness and quality to achieve it, it is Real Madrid,” Figo told AS.
“That’s why, despite the unfavourable result at the Bernabéu and the history of this competition, I think we will go through to the semi-finals”.
Figo finds Mbappe and Vinicius key to Real Madrid’s chances
The former Ballon d’Or winner thinks that “without a doubt”, efficiency could be a decider.
“They are playing away from home and at a disadvantage after the first match,” he observed regarding Madrid. “It’s obvious that if Vinicius and [Kylian] Mbappé are effective and successful, it will be much easier to get a positive result. But the important thing is to sustain the strength of Bayern’s attack. Not to suffer and to have, as soon as possible, control of the match.”
While the attack picks itself, there’s a conundrum for Alvaro Arbeloa in midfield. Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended for the decider and Figo noted his loss. Yet he has no doubts about who should step in for the Frenchman.
“Yes, it’s a striking loss. Tchouameni is an important player in the team’s balance, but I think Real Madrid have choices to replace him. Could it be Bellingham? I think so. He showed in the first leg at the Bernabéu that he came on very well from the bench and that he has more than enough quality to be able to unbalance the opposition and change the result. For me, Bellingham should always be on the pitch. It’s the logical thing to do,” Figo stated.
At the moment, it’s believed to be a choice between fielding Castilla breakthrough talent Pitarch or Bellingham.
While the youngster could provide retreated cool and allow Fede Valverde to attack in a duo, Bellingham can unleash chaos amid doubts as to whether he has the fitness for such a high-octane clash.
