Carlo’s main question is if Tchouaméni will play with Rüdiger, sending Nacho to the bench.

Real Madrid go up against Manchester City at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (KO 3 p.m. ET/ noon PT.). Ahead of the game, there are plenty of questions for Carlo Ancelotti to consider when it comes to naming his starting XI.

As for the aforementioned doubt, it sits over the centre-back position, where everything points to Tchouameni starting over Nacho. Despite this feeling ahead of the game, Ancelotti did not want to put an end to the rumour mill and say who will be Rüdiger’s companion: the 50-50% split between Nacho and Aurélien has since started to shift in favour of the Frenchman.

Who will start for Real Madrid against Manchester City?

Tchouaméni’s strong performances as a centre-back support him: Madrid have never lost with a Rüdiger-Tchouaméni partnership, reinforcing him as a starter. The presence of Tchouaméni in defense, in addition to relegating Nacho to the bench, would allow Camavinga to play as the pivot.

The alternative would be for Nacho to play alongside Rüdiger… something that would stir the waters of a debate about whether the midfielder should be Tchouaméni or Camavinga. Of the three players mentioned, only two can play.

‘I don’t think we’ll do strange things’

The rest of the team practically picks itself, something which the coach acknowledged: “I don’t think we’ll do strange things, no… It could be… No. I’m not going to tell you anything about the line-up, don’t worry. There might be one change, but otherwise it’s quite clear” Ancelotti said ahead of the game.

That position the Italian hinted at is left centre-back, where Tchouaméni holds the lead. However, Madrid must be careful, as Camavinga, Bellingham and Vinicius, would not be available to play in Manchester if they see a yellow card in Spain.

The absence of Modric may stand out to some, although given the way things have gone for the Croatian it is no longer completely shocking not to see him start. The Croatian is playing a secondary role this season, but there was a question to be asked as to whether he would gain prominence in the side when the big games arrived. This will not be the case.

The game between Real Madrid and Manchester City will be played on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 3 p.m. ET/ noon PT. You can follow the action live on AS USA ahead of kick-off.