‘If it was difficult tonight, imagine what it will be like next Wednesday,’ said Carlo Ancelotti after Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. Los Blancos will take an advantage to the Metropolitano for the second derby in eight days, but there are still doubts about their strategy.
Their task will be significantly eased by the return of Jude Bellingham, who missed the first leg through suspension. The England star will no doubt be straight back into the line-up, and likely at the expense of Brahim Diaz, despite his man of the match performance against Atletico at the Santiago Bernabeu.
According to Relevo, Ancelotti is wrestling with one major doubt regarding his line-up for the second leg: Eduardo Camavinga. For just the third time this season, Camavinga started alongside Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield, and the Frenchman looked out of his depth. Substituted first in the 62nd minute for Luka Modric, Real Madrid exerted far more control following the introduction of the Croatian.
Ancelotti is weighing up whether that change should come from the start of the game next Wednesday, although he is tipped to name the same line-up excepting the return of Bellingham. From within the club, it is acknowledged that Camavinga has not improved as much as hoped in his four years at the club, and that his best performances have come at left-back.
His quality and physical capacity are beyond doubt, but at Valdebebas the word his that his losses of concentration and decision-making still leave plenty to be desired. Using Modric from the start would allow a calmer head at the centre of operations for Ancelotti, but should he and Tchouameni get overrun, the introduction of Camavinga will not give them more control. The Frenchman is perhaps the better option if Real Madrid are without the ball, but Modric also shifts the balance of possession.
