The Brazilian central defender will miss the Bernabéu clash against Pep Guardiola’s side.
The Champions League semi-finals begin with a highstakes showdown. Real Madrid hosts Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabéu in a fixture that promises edge-of-seat football and tactical battles. Carlo Ancelotti faces a significant setback with the absence of one of his most relied-upon defensive pillars, Eder Militao, ahead of this crucial tie.
Why Militao won’t be available for Real Madrid against Manchester City in the 2022-2023 UEFA Champions League semi-final
In the wake of a tough defeat at Anoeta, Ancelotti publicly urged Militao to recover his sharpness quickly, underscoring the defender’s importance to the squad. Yet the Brazilian will not feature in Madrid’s starting plans for this semi-final, and the reasoning goes beyond a recent dip in form. Militao has completed a suspension cycle after picking up a yellow card at Stamford Bridge during the second leg of the quarterfinals against Chelsea. That accumulation of cautions means he cannot participate in the upcoming crucial clash.
With Militao unavailable, Ancelotti will lean on his trusted defensive quartet and decide who assumes the central role alongside his remaining backline. The plan includes deploying a familiar partner for the remaining season’s battles, with Antonio Rudiger stepping into the vacancy to reinforce Madrid’s line of defense. Rudiger’s experience at the heart of the defense provides Madrid with leadership, international experience, and a different cadence in defensive transitions against a fluid City attack.
The decision not to call Militao into action is not a reflection on the Brazilian’s form or impact in recent matches. Instead, it stems from the league’s and competition’s disciplinary framework that requires a player to sit out after accumulating a certain number of cautions. This ensures high-profile ties remain competitive and managed with a consistent standard, even if it disrupts a preferred pairing. Ancelotti’s preparation for the tie has thus adapted to field a backline that can withstand City’s pressing game and their varied fronts of attack, including quick interchanges and incisive runs from wide players and forwards.
Real Madrid’s tactical approach for this semi-final balances the need to maintain solidity with the willingness to exploit space when City commit numbers forward. Militao’s absence—though temporary—tests the squad’s depth and the coach’s ability to rotate with minimal disruption. The squad’s depth has been a talking point all season, and the management team has previously shown resilience when filling gaps. Rudiger’s inclusion provides a blend of physical presence, aerial ability, and distribution out of the back, which can help Madrid control transitions and protect against City’s pace in behind the defensive line. The match is set to reveal how Madrid adapts to a high-press, possession-based side that has repeatedly posed difficult questions for European rivals.
Source: Goal