Ancelotti surprisingly puts Camavinga on the bench against Bayern

Carlo Ancelotti has announced Real Madrid’s line-up for the clash with Bayern Munich. The biggest surprise is Eduardo Camavinga’s reserve role. The first leg of the Champions League semi-final starts at 9:00 PM and can be seen on RTL 7 and Ziggo Sport Select.

Andriy Lunin defends Real Madrid’s goal. The Ukrainian won the competition against Kepa Arrizabalaga and was the hero in the penalty shootout in the previous round against Manchester City.

There is no room in the backline for Éder Militão, who has recovered from a knee injury, who played against Real Sociedad last Friday (0-1 win) for the first time since August 12. He starts on the couch.

The heart of the defense is formed by Antonio Rüdiger and Nacho. The back positions are occupied by Lucas Vázquez (right) and Mendy (left). Dani Carvajal is unavailable due to a suspension, although Ancelotti has an excellent replacement in Vázquez.

The 32-year-old back was recently one of the absolute standouts against FC Barcelona. Mendy has recovered from a muscle injury that kept him out against Sociedad.

Partly due to Mendy’s return, Aurélien Tchouaméni moves to midfield. Eduardo Camavinga, who played the entire match twice against Manchester City, has to settle for a place on the bench.

Tchouaméni is assisted in midfield by Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde. There are no surprises at the front. False striker Bellingham sees Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo next to him. Bellingham and Rodrygo did not play against Sociedad due to illness, but will be back for the meeting in Munich.

The meeting with Bayern will be a special one for Ancelotti. The Italian was at the helm of the Allianz Arena for more than a year between 2016 and 2017. Ancelotti won the league title once and the German Super Cup twice with Bayern.

“Munich is a beautiful, fantastic city,” Ancelotti said at the press conference. “Unfortunately, I have always struggled to learn German. My son was more fortunate in that regard, he speaks it very well. I’m sorry to say I’ve forgotten a lot of it.”

Bayern Munich line-up: nbb

Real Madrid line-up: Lunin; Vazquez, Nacho, Rudiger, Mendy; Tchouaméni, Kroos, Valverde; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior.

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