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Real Madrid fans are bemused by Carlo Ancelotti's decision not to start Antonio Rudiger against Manchester City in the two sides' Champions League showdown.
Los Blancos have made the trip to the Etihad to face City in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal. The tie is all to play for following a 1-1 draw from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rudiger started and impressed in that game, nullifying the threat posed by Cityzens frontman Erling Haaland. The German defender gelled well with David Alaba in defense with City's in-form striker barely getting a sniff.
However, Ancelotti has decided to drop Rudiger to the bench for the second leg, with Eder Militao coming in as his replacement. This comes as a surprise given that the German was so impactful at the Bernabeu. He made three clearances, one interception, and won two of four aerial duals.
Ancelotti has selected Thibaut Courtois in goal, with Dani Carvajal, Alaba, and Eduardo Camavinga joining Militao in defense. They are tasked with trying to prevent Haaland from continuing his remarkable season in which he has bagged 52 goals across competitions.
Meanwhile, Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modric are selected in midfield. Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema, and Rodrygo are in attack. Yet fans are not overly confident due to Rudiger's snub.
One fan thinks the former Chelsea defender has been disrespected:
"Biggest disrespect of all time after the game he had."
Another fan thinks it's cruel on the German international:
"Benching Rudiger after that performance is just cruel at best."
One Real Madrid fan thinks Ancelotti will live to regret his decision:
"We shall regret leaving Rudiger on the bench."
Here's how Twitter reacted to the Los Blancos manager's questionable decision to leave out Rudiger:
Javier Zanetti hopes Inter Milan don't face Real Madrid in Champions League final
Inter Milan legend Javier Zanetti is keen for the Nerazzurri to avoid Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final.
Simone Inzaghi's booked their place in the final with a 1-0 (3-0 aggregate) win over rivals AC Milan on Tuesday (May 16). Inter will face either Madrid or Manchester City in the final on June 10 at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.
However, Inzaghi is made it clear that he doesn't want to come up against Real Madrid as he feels they are made for Champions League football. He told Sky Sport Italia:
“This group deserved to play a Champions League final after 13 years. But I hope we don’t have to play Madrid because it seems as if the competition was made for them."
Los Blancos are currently tied at 1-1 on aggregate with City from the first leg. The two European heavyweights clash at the Etihad tonight. Inzaghi's stance has merit given Madrid's impressive record in European finals.
Real Madrid haven't been defeated in a European final since 1981 and have won the European title 14 times. Carlo Ancelotti's side have a massive task ahead of them in reaching the final though as they are yet to win at the Etihad.
Inter reached their sixth European Cup/Champions League final courtesy of Lautaro Martinez's second-half finish at the San Siro. They will be playing as the away side in Istanbul.
