Carlo Ancelotti’s sets defense to tackle Haaland in UCL. According to El Confidencial, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti will start Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, and David Alaba in defense against Manchester City striker Erling Haaland at the Etihad.
Haaland has been in excellent form this season, scoring 51 goals in 47 appearances across competitions, 36 of which came at home. Madrid must therefore work to neutralize the threat posed by Europe’s best striker.
Tuesday, May 9, at the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid and City played to a 1-1 tie in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal. On May 17, the two European powerhouses square off at the Etihad.
During the first leg, Rudiger and Alaba did a fantastic job of keeping Haaland quiet. He only had two shots on goal and failed to register a plan. Adding Militao to his defense, Ancelotti will focus more on preventing the Norwegian.
Alaba will now play left back, and Militao will join Rudiger in the center of the defense. At the Bernabeu, Eduardo Camavinga began as a left defender. At the Etihad, the Frenchman will be switched to defensive midfield.
Rodrygo will pay a price for Ancelotti’s strategy, though. According to reports, the Brazilian striker will sit out of the second game. Prior to their matchup with Manchester City, Real Madrid is in action. On May 13, they compete in a La Liga match against Getafe. In that game, Ancelotti might decide to use his strategy to test the efficacy of his possible back four.
Rio Ferdinand applauds Antonio Rudiger for his defensive play against Erling Haaland:
The Manchester City forward was effectively handled by Antonio Rudiger. Rudiger, a defender for Real Madrid, put on an outstanding performance in the first leg to stop the prolific City forward. The German won two out of four aerial duels while making three clearances and one interception.
Rio Ferdinand, a former Manchester United defender, was impressed by Rudiger’s performance against the City striker. He commended the German for confronting Haaland forcefully (according to MadridXtra): “Rudiger was both great and intelligent. I believe you should exert yourself against Haaland. I’ve never seen a defense against Haaland better than this one. Others have tried before and failed.”
Rudiger has a lot of experience playing on a large platform after helping Chelsea win the Champions League in 2021. He could have to perform at his peak level to aid Los Blancos in winning the second leg.
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