Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Man City: Depleted Defence, No Mbappe

An injury crisis has come at the wrong time for the under-fire Xabi Alonso.

A knee injury could rule Kylian Mbappé out of Wednesday’s clash. / Diego Souto/Getty Images

A depleted Real Madrid welcome modern Champions League rivals Manchester City to the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday night, and there’s already talk of this fixture being make-or-break for Xabi Alonso.

The Spaniard is merely the latest tactical autocrat unable to find common ground with the egos parading around the capital, with Madrid hosting City off the back of a chastening 2–0 home defeat to Celta Vigo at the weekend.

Los Blancos have won just two of their previous seven outings in all competitions, but victory over a Pep Guardiola-led outfit would do plenty to convince whistling Madridistas that it may be worth sticking by their former player in the home dugout.

However, claiming victory over the Cityzens will be no simple task for the injury-riddled hosts. Madrid suffered a couple of huge fitness setbacks on Saturday, and Alonso is unlikely to have many—if any—of his currently stricken stars available for Wednesday’s clash.

Here’s how Madrid could line up for Man City’s visit.

Analysis. Alonso out of depth feature. Is Xabi Alonso Out of His Depth At Real Madrid?. dark

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Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1)

The Real Madrid manager is feeling the heat. / Denis Doyle/Getty Images

GK: Thibaut Courtois—It’ll likely take something special from Courtois for Madrid to earn their fifth Champions League victory of the season here. He’s more than capable, though.

RB: Raúl Asencio—Alonso would be brave to put Federico Valverde at right back, given their relationship, so we’ll likely see Asencio continue in the role. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal are out injured.

CB: Antonio Rüdiger—A fit and firing Rüdiger has had success against Erling Haaland in the past, but you fear for this iteration of the German.

CB: Álvaro Carreras—Despite his needless red card late on against Celta, Carrera will have to continue at the heart of Madrid’s backline, given their array of injuries.

LB: Fran García—The same goes for García. With Ferland Mendy out and Carreras drifting inside, Alonso may have to pick the defender who let him down on Saturday.

CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—The Frenchman has come to Alonso’s aid in the build-up to Wednesday’s game, suggesting that there was nothing wrong with the manager’s plan at the weekend. Tchouaméni has been a constant in the engine room this season.

CM: Federico Valverde—It’s been a difficult season for Valverde so far, and he hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with the new manager. However, the Uruguayan’s intensity is very much needed on this occasion. Eduardo Camavinga is a fresh injury concern.

RW: Franco Mastantuono—We’re unlikely to see the diamond setup on Wednesday night, and Alonso may turn to one of Madrid’s exciting summer arrivals to inspire an upsurge down the right flank. It’s been over a month since his last outing, but he was on the bench at the weekend.

AM: Jude Bellingham—Bellingham has shone in this fixture previously, and the hosts desperately need the most determined version of the English star to manifest against the Cityzens.

LW: Rodrygo—Still no goals for Rodrygo, but a major absence in attack should force Alonso to change tack. Rodrygo, throughout his Madrid career, has looked considerably more threatening off the left compared to the right.

ST: Vinicius Junior—With Kylian Mbappé projected to miss out, we could see Vinicius Jr lead the line for the hosts. Alonso is unlikely to trust Gonzalo García or Endrick, both of whom have barely played this season.

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