Real Madrid will have a ‘new signing’ for their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich at the end of the month.
The record winners of Europe’s elite tournament are just three games away from lifting their big-eared trophy for an unprecedented 15th time, provided everything goes their way.
That was certainly the case on Wednesday at the Etihad, where Los Blancos faced the quarter-final second leg against defending champions Manchester City, tied with a 3-3 scoreline at the Bernabeu.
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Ultimately, however, it was the club’s never-say-die attitude that prevailed and allowed Antonio Rudiger to score the winning penalty in a 4-3 shootout triumph that gave rise to a final meeting with Bayern Munich.
However, while Madrid lost Dani Carvajal, suspended for the first leg at the Allianz Arena on April 30, they effectively have a “new recruit” for the tie, Eder Militao, as OK Diario explains.
The Brazilian finally returned from a torn ACL last month against the club he initially suffered the injury against in August, Athletic Club, and came off the bench for the final 10 minutes of extra time in Manchester.
Although he asked not to take a penalty against Ederson, fearing that his Brazilian teammate knew him too well, as confirmed by Carlo Ancelotti, the central defender will earn minutes in Madrid’s upcoming matches against FC Barcelona at the Clasico and Real Sociedad.
He might not be expected to start in Bavaria, where Ancelotti is expected to opt for a partnership with Nacho or Aurélien Tchoaumeni and Rudiger.
But certainly at the Bernabeu where Militao will likely team up with the German in his homeland while David Alaba will be out of the running until next season at the earliest.
In Militao and Rudiger, Madrid have two of the best central defenders in the world who will provide plenty of muscle in a triangle if Tchouameni is in front of them in a pivot against Bayern.