“He must play” – Real Madrid fans annoyed with Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to bench midfielder against Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid fans are not pleased with manager Carlo Ancelotti's decision to bench Eduardo Camavinga against Atletico Madrid.

The two teams face each other in an all-important derby later today (25 February) at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ancelotti has named a midfield three of Toni Kroos, Dani Ceballos and Federico Valverde.

Aurelien Tchouameni, Camavinga and Luka Modric, meanwhile, have been named on the bench. This just goes to show the quality at the Italian tactician's disposal.

Camavinga has recorded one assist in 36 games across competitions this season. The 20-year-old's engine and his willingness to do the dirty work in midfield make him a dynamic addition to Real Madrid's midfield.

Los Blancos fans seemingly wanted to see the former Stade Rennais midfielder start against Los Colchoneros. His exclusion comes as a surprise considering he has played the full 90 minutes in their last six La Liga games.

He did, however, play the entire game when Real Madrid beat Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield just four days back (21 February). Here are some of the reactions from Real Madrid fans to the news of Camavinga not starting against Atletico:

After their clash against manager Diego Simeone's side, Los Merengues will not play again until 2 March, when they face Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final.

David Alaba and Rodrygo Goes, meanwhile, are two notable absentees from Madrid's matchday squad to face Atletico. The pair suffered injuries in their team's first-leg UEFA Champions League round-of-16 win against Liverpool.

Alaba is out for around a month while Rodrygo is expected to return within the next 10 days.

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Real Madrid boss speaks highly of Atletico Madrid counterpart

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti and Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone have shared some memorable encounters in the past.

The two have met 19 times across competitions, with Ancelotti winning eight encounters to Simeone's seven. Asked if there is anything the two of them can learn from each other, the former Bayern Munich manager said in his pre-match press conference (h/t Managing Madrid):

"I like him as a person. I’d like to spend more time with him because we both love football. I don’t think there’s anything he has to learn from me, but I’d like to spend time together and I’d like to see how he works and prepares his training sessions.

"Maybe after the game he can tell me how he prepared for this derby, and I’ll tell him how I prepared."

Their latest meeting has the potential to decide the title prematurely. Madrid currently trail league leaders Barcelona by eight points.

If the gap increases to 11 this weekend, one would expect Barca to have one hand on the trophy already.