Real Madrid media are now expecting former Blue Antonio Rudiger to be on the bench against Chelsea tonight.
Journalist Miguel Angel Diaz has claimed that the centre-back pairing will consist of Eder Militao and David Alaba.
Even the left-back spot he occasionally operated in when he first joined the club looks set to be filled by Eduardo Camavinga, which could encourage Chelsea attacks down the right.
Reece James will almost certainly return to a wing-back role with a back three behind him, giving him the licence to bomb forwards and test the out-of-position Frenchman.
There will certainly have been worries amongst some Blues fans that they will have had to come up against one of their best performers of the last two seasons.
Rudiger to be benched
Rudiger earned praise from then manager Thomas Tuchel for his ‘world-class’ performances at Stamford Bridge, before he was allowed to leave after not being offered a good enough contract under the previous ownership.
This has since left Todd Boehly absolutely shocked, and saw him enter a frenzy when it came to buying defenders last summer and even in January.
However, Madrid media are now expecting the Germany international to be on the bench for the first leg of the quarter-final.
This will no doubt come as a disappointment to the 30-year-old, who will have been relishing the chance to prove his worth against the team he felt didn’t value him enough.
Frank Lampard’s side will surely be happy with a draw tonight at the Bernabeu, a result they achieved in 2021 when they went on to win the whole thing. Last season’s victory in the Spanish capital was bittersweet. Rudiger scored that day, but Chelsea couldn’t hold on to a 3-0 lead and left the competition in extra-time.
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