Real Madrid are just five days away from their opening fixture in La Liga, with their trip to Bilbao to face Athletic Club fast approaching. There are a number of question marks over the side Carlo Ancelotti will select, but there are some certainties too.
One of them is in central defence. Diario AS say that despite Antonio Rudiger and Nacho Fernandez playing often in preseason, Eder Militao and David Alaba will remain his first-choice for next season.
The Austrian was plagued by injuries last campaign, while Militao was excellent until the final two months of the campaign, when he suffered a surprising drop off in form.
Yet Ancelotti will rely on both to regain their form this season. Many were calling for Rudiger to be included in their second leg away to Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final last season, but it was Militao and Alaba at the back who suffered the 4-0 defeat at the Etihad. The German had put in an excellent performance against Erling Haaland in the first leg.
The Italian appears to have clear preference for the Brazilian and Alaba, who combine well as different profiles of defender. Militao tends to be highly aggressive in his approach to defending, as is the case for Rudiger, and the fact that Alaba tends to adjust his positioning rather than necessarily stepping out of the line perhaps explains that. Between Militao and Rudiger, the former certainly has more credit in the bank at the Santiago Bernabeu, in spite of Rudiger’s form down the stretch last season.
