After their 3-2 victory on the Etihad Stadium earlier this week, Actual Madrid are clear favourites to progress previous Manchester within the Champions League play-off spherical. The second leg of the tie takes place on the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, and the defending champions shall be aiming to complete the job and e-book their place within the final 16 of the competitors.
Actual Madrid’s victory in Manchester was all of the extra spectacular when contemplating that they have been with out a number of beginning defenders. Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba suffered muscular accidents within the final couple of weeks which meant that they have been unavailable, though Diario AS have reported that they’ll each be match sufficient to be included in Carlo Ancelotti’s matchday squad for the second leg.
Nonetheless, there’s some dangerous information for Ancelotti, and it’s that he won’t be able to name upon Lucas Vazquez, regardless of having been assured of the 33-year-old right-back being obtainable.
Within the days earlier than the primary leg in Manchester, Lucas was struck down with a hamstring harm, and this meant that he was unable to be known as upon for the primary leg. There had been confidence that he could be okay for the return leg on the Bernabeu, however these beliefs have turned out to be bold.
It implies that Ancelotti will definitely be beginning with Federico Valverde at right-back once more, though this might most likely have been the case even when Lucas was match sufficient to be known as as much as the matchday squad. The Uruguayan is taken into account extra dependable in defence than his Spanish counterpart, though the lack of his presence in midfield is a blow.
It stays to be seen whether or not Actual Madrid can recuperate Lucas for subsequent weekend’s house match in opposition to Girona. As issues stand, he’s uncertain for that one.