Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Kieran Horn

Carlo Ancelotti drops major Real Madrid team news hint for Champions League clash with Chelsea

Carlo Ancelotti has already named one Real Madrid player who will start against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening in Champions League action. Los Blancos made six changes to the starting team for the La Liga clash away at Cadiz from the first leg against Chelsea with Luka Modric, Vinicius Jr and Toni Kroos among the notable names to miss out.

The Blues also adopted a similar approach with Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante as the experienced duo were left out of the weekend matchday squad. Both have just recovered from injury problems which also likely contributed to their omission, and with a season-defining clash arriving just four days later, Frank Lampard's decision to rest seems the most logical.

Unfortunately, that decision did not pay off in the same way Ancelotti's did. While Madrid beat Cadiz 2-0, the Blues suffered their third consecutive loss at the hands of Brighton. Kante and Silva are expected to be back for the second leg with no fresh injury concerns.

READ MORE: Frank Lampard takes aim at Graham Potter over Chelsea issue ahead of Real Madrid clash

Injury problems have also been plaguing Madrid with first-choice left-back Ferland Mendy set to miss the second leg. The Frenchman had been dealing with a hamstring problem since January and subsequently suffered a fresh calf injury at the end of March in his return match against Barcelona.

His absence has seen Eduardo Camavinga slot in on the left of the back four and perform admirably despite being a central midfielder. The 20-year-old was also missing from Ancelotti's weekend starting XI as Nacho was deployed in his place, and the Spaniard marked his appearance by scoring Madrid's opening goal in the 72nd minute with Asensio doubling their lead four minutes later.

Despite Nacho's positive display, Ancelotti has already confirmed he won't be retaining his place at left-back. When asked about his favoured starting team and if Camavinga will continue playing as a full-back, he said: "Starting XI is difficult to say. One day I can think I have the starting XI.

"The next day someone who doesn't play much can come in have a good game and change your ideas. The squad changes my idea a lot. Just an XI is not giving respect to the other players who are not playing a lot but are still doing well. Camavinga is ok. Do you want me to tell you if he will be playing left back? Yes he will."

READ NEXT:

Behind the scenes in Chelsea training as Frank Lampard makes use of surprise inclusion

Chelsea have four-day Erik Ten Hag deadline for new manager decision after Jose Mourinho example

Real Madrid 'crying' over major UEFA decision ahead of Chelsea Champions League clash

Frank Lampard's brutal Chelsea confession speaks volumes as Premier League truth painfully clear

Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, views and rumours from Stamford Bridge

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.