Real Madrid will be confronted with Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday evening with many problems that enter the first stage of the quarterfinals in the Emirates. Arsenal has lost several important elements in their backline, including Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori, and although Real Madrid has different players from an injury, they are still on the bare bones themselves.
Los Blancos has been improvising since Dani Carvajal collapsed from a cruciate ligament injury, with Lucas Vazquez and Fede Valverde tasks on the right back. Eer Militao is also excluded for most of the season, which leads to the rise of Raul Asencio in the central defense. Ferland Mendy, another starter from last season, has also had to deal with injury problems and is excluded from the first stage against Arsenal.
For the most part, Fran Garcia is used in his place, but with Real Madrid who only holds two clean sheets in their last 16 games, and the general feeling that Garcia is not always familiar in top games, there is little faith in the position. So much was the evidence after Eduardo Camavinga started second stage against Real Sociedad in their Copa del Rey Semi-final. Camavinga, however, struggled and relevant says that Carlo Ancelotti is considering an experiment against Arsenal.
David Alaba saw the last minutes of Real Madrid's defeat against Valencia playing left back and offering good service of the flank. The Austrian defender has played almost exclusively as a center-back since he arrived in Madrid, but struggled after his own knee injury had kept him outside for 13 months. Alaba, however, spent the start of his career as a left back, and Ancelotti wonders if he might be best served by giving the veteran back against Arsenal.
In theory, Alaba would give Real Madrid defensive and in the air a much more solid presence, albeit with less pace than Garcia. He also has a better range of passes and is used more to build up from the back. Real Madrid's left back will probably be confronted with Bukayo Saka, one of Arsenal's biggest threats, but it must be noted that Alaba has shown signs of rust.
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