Real Madrid players urging Carlo Ancelotti to bench experienced star against PSG - Reports

Real Madrid players have urged their manager Carlo Ancelotti not to start Marcelo against PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday, according to El Nacional.

The Brazilian is a pale shadow of his former self, with his defensive weaknesses getting exposed in the game against Villarreal. He started against Unai Emery's side on Sunday, but was run ragged by the peerless Samuel Chukwueze.

His defending in one-on-one situations was almost non-existent. Moreover, the 33-year-old didn't look too comfortable with the ball at his feet either.

A prolific assist-maker back in the day, Marcelo is set to leave the club this summer. He has declined dramatically in all departments since the 2018-19 season.

He's no longer a starter, with Ferland Mendy usurping him in the XI as the number one left-back, limiting Marcelo to a few appearances. In the last two seasons, Marcelo played only 31 times, most of them off the bench. He has appeared only five times this season (starting just twice).

Against PSG, Marcelo would come up against an old foe in Lionel Messi, who'd run riot on the left flank if given a free pass, with Achraf Hakimi on the overlap. That would be suicidal for Real Madrid, so the players want manager Carlo Ancelotti to reinstate Mendy for the all-important European clashes.

The Frenchman, while not a quintessential marauding full-back, is excellent defensively, and excels in one-on-one situations too.

Signed for €48 million from Lyon in 2019, he quickly established himself in the XI, and has played 91 times in all competitions for Los Blancos since then. Mendy is currently nursing a hamstring problem, and Los Blancos will hope he's available for the first-leg clash with PSG on Tuesday.

If not, David Alaba is also an option, as he has previously plied his trade in the left-back position with Bayern Munich. Nacho is also comfortable in that role, and the last alternative is Miguel Gutierrez, who has started on more occasions than Marcelo this season.

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Real Madrid hoping to have Benzema available against PSG

Real Madrid's concerns don't stop with Mendy. Their star striker Karim Benzema is also facing a race against time to get fit for the PSG clash.

The 34-year-old, who has bagged 24 goals and nine assists in 28 games across competitions, picked up a hamstring injury earlier this month. That has caused him to miss Los Blancos' last two league games. His absence would obviously be a big loss for Ancelotti, who do not have too many good options to replace the Frenchman.

PSG host Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday before the Santiago Bernabeu return on March 9.