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Real Madrid take on Manchester City on Tuesday, 26 April at the Etihad Stadium in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.
Los Blancos have had to fight incredibly hard to reach the last four. They pulled off dramatic comeback victories against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the previous rounds.
Ahead of the clash at Manchester City, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti announced his starting XI, with injury doubt David Alaba making the side. Holding midfielder Casemiro, on the other hand, is only fit enough for the bench.
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Ancelotti has faced criticism from certain sections of Real Madrid's fanbase and media for being too loyal to the legendary midfield trio of the club. This comprises of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro, who have a combined age of 98.
While Federico Valverde deputizes for the unfit Casemiro, the Italian boss has trusted experience over youth and kept faith with Kroos and Modric.
Galacticos fans have reacted angrily online to this news. They believe that 19-year-old Eduardo Camavinga should be given a chance ahead of the German Kroos.
Here are some of the best reactions to Ancelotti's decision to leave Camavinga out of the starting XI:
Ancelotti takes a risk in Real Madrid's clash against Manchester City with no defensive midfielder
Kroos had struggled to keep up with Chelsea's intensity in the quarter-final second leg and he was eventually replaced by Camavinga. The French wonderkid helped turn the tie around, bringing energy and attacking intent to the Spanish giants that was previously sorely missing.
Camavinga has been a revelation at the Bernabeu since his arrival from Stade Rennais last summer. He has already made 33 appearances in his debut season.
Casemiro has not played since Madrid's tie against Chelsea three weeks ago. Hence, Ancelotti has chosen to line up against City without a recognized defensive midfielder.
Madrid's 3-1 victory over Osasuna in La Liga at the weekend brought the club to within a point of confirming their record 35th league title. Manchester City head into the Etihad encounter off the back of a 5-1 victory over relegation-threatened Watford in the Premier League.
In a pre-match press conference, Ancelotti claimed he was looking forward to the clash between two of European football's heavy hitters, telling MEN:
"Well, we have to play well. It's going to be a very open tie."
It will be interesting to see what results this decision to play with no defensive midfielder brings for Real Madrid.
