Champions League: Ancelotti put faith in Rudiger and Nacho in the heart of the defence against Man City

France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni scored a stunning winner for Real Madrid against Mallorca at the weekend, reminding Carlo Ancelotti of why he will be missed against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

The French international was booked early in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Man City at the Santiago Bernabeu and is thus suspended for the all-important second leg.

Considering that he was the manager’s first choice to partner Antonio Rudiger in central defence, his absence has raised questions as to whom Ancelotti will opt to use in his place on Wednesday.

Despite the noise that Eder Militao might start on the night, it is now clear that the Brazilian is not ready enough to feature from kickoff in a Champions League clash.

As revealed by AS, Rudiger will thus be joined by Nacho Fernandez in defence in Manchester. The German-Spanish pairing has been the Italian gaffer’s most-used defensive combination this season and has stepped onto the field together 18 times.

The only game Real Madrid has lost with the aforementioned pairing was against Atletico Madrid.

Moreover, Andriy Lunin has kept seven clean sheets in eleven games with the regular combination ahead of him. And they will again be sharing the pitch come Wednesday at the Etihad.

Despite playing in the first leg against Manchester City last season and keeping Erling Haaland silent, Rudiger was kept on the bench for the game in England. What ensued was pure chaos, with Los Blancos losing by a massive margin.

The German once again did well to defend against Haaland last week. This time, he will start against City in the second leg and will look to take revenge for being benched last season.

If Rudiger can keep the Norwegian striker quiet on the night as he did at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid’s job on the day will be largely simplified. All eyes will be on the defence.