Madrid set to drop Tchouameni for Champions League game as Liverpool gets van Dijk boost
Dutch international van Dijk was named on the bench, in the 2-0 Premier League win over Everton on February 13
Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk looks set to return from injury for their Champions League clash with Real Madrid.
Los Blancos head to Anfield in midweek, for a crunch last 16 first leg tie, in a repeat of the 2022 final between the two sides in Paris.
Jurgen Klopp has faced Real Madrid four times as Reds boss, with three defeats and one draw, including final losses in 2018 and 2022.
Liverpool’s inconsistent start to 2023 has caused frustration for the German coach but he is edging closer to having a full squad available.
Dutch international van Dijk was named on the bench, in the 2-0 Premier League win over Everton on February 13, after six weeks out with a hamstring injury, with the fit again Diogo Jota making a late cameo appearance.
Klopp has confirmed the 31-year-old is in the running to feature in the weekend trip to Newcastle, and could boost the hosts defence, on their Champions League return on February 21.
“I think he will be fit in time. On Thursday he looked absolutely ready, and today I think he looks the same”, as per reports from BBC Sport.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid travel to Osasuna on Saturday hoping to reduce the gap to Barcelona at the top of the table to just five points.
Yet with Liverpool on the horizon this Tuesday, if the players do not, then the staff will have the repeat of last season’s Champions League final at the back of their mind.
With it comes several selection dilemmas. Carlo Ancelotti’s tried and tested in big games generally includes a midfield of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and now Aurelien Tchouameni, with Fede Valverde on the right side. The Italian will have to decide whether to stick with the more solid Valverde, or introduce Rodrygo Goes from the start.
Even the midfield three are not safe though. Dani Ceballos has arguably been their best midfielder in 2023, with Eduardo Camavinga potentially second behind him.
With Carlo Ancelotti admitting that Aurelien Tchouameni is not quite at peak fitness after the World Cup and an injury, Diario AS speculate whether he might be dropped for the Liverpool match. His form has not been what it was before the break either.
Meanwhile, Camavinga has come on leaps and bounds. At the start of the season, Camavinga was not trusted to start matches due to his chaotic nature, and poor decision-making. In recent months, he has become much more measured, picking his moments and keeping the space behind him in mind. The Madrid daily say it is possible that Camavinga replaces his compatriot at the base of midfield.
While Camavinga and Ceballos do have a good case to start against Liverpool, Ancelotti has generally stuck with the old guard for the biggest matches. If he were to drop any of Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos or Modric, it could signal a changing of the guard at the Santiago Bernabeu.
