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Three options for Arbeloa to replace key Real Madrid midfielder vs Bayern Munich following suspension
Real Madrid lost 1-2 to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Despite Kylian Mbappe’s best efforts, a brilliant showing by Manuel Neuer in the Bayern Munich goal meant that the Bavarians returned home with an advantage in the blockbuster tie.
On 15 April, Real Madrid will step onto the pitch at the Allianz Arena hoping to mount a comeback against the Bundesliga champions and progress to the semi-finals.
However, they will have to do so without key midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni as he will miss the second leg through suspension.
The Frenchman received a yellow card against Bayern on Tuesday – which was his third in the Champions League this season, which earned him an automatic one-match ban. As such, he will be unavailable for the match in Germany, which comes as a big blow for Real Madrid.
Faced with this situation, Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has several options to replace him in midfield for the upcoming fixture against Die Roten.
Eduardo Camavinga
One would think the most logical option to replace Tchouameni in the centre of the park for Real Madrid would be his compatriot Eduardo Camavinga.
The Frenchman is no stranger to playing as the pivot midfielder and has operated in that role 12 times this season (35 appearances), while he has played as a No. 8 on 11 occasions.
However, there is a concern that the 23-year-old midfielder lacks the tactical discipline needed for the holding midfield role. Moreover, his performance in the last La Liga game against RCD Mallorca was very disappointing.
Federico Valverde
The next most obvious solution for Arbeloa will be to move Federico Valverde into the central midfield role from his current position on the right flank.
The Real Madrid second captain could partner Thiago Pitarch in the middle of the park, while Jude Bellingham and Arda Guler take up the wider positions in the second line of press.
However, the Uruguayan international has been one of Real Madrid’s most enterprising outlets in his current role, so there will be some trade-off with moving him back into a central position.
Dean Huijsen
A left-field choice perhaps, but Arbeloa could look for a novel approach and push Dean Huijsen into the holding midfield role from central defence.
While the 20-year-old Spaniard has never played in midfield in his career, he has the necessary qualities – strong ball progression, good distribution and the understanding to provide defensive support.
With Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger expected to partner up in central defence, this could be an avenue to not lose Huijsen from the lineup.
Alternatively, Militao could also be an option as a holding midfielder, with the Brazilian having played in the position on a few occasions in his career. It would keep Huijsen in his natural role at the heart of the Real Madrid defence.
Real Madrid will lock horns with Elche CF away at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero later tonight in Matchday 6 of the 2026/27 La Liga season.
The Merengues are currently second in the league standings with four wins and one defeat from five games, three points behind Barcelona, who are yet to drop a single point this term, and have looked unstoppable.
Given the situation, Real Madrid know there is no room for slip-up, even though it is still very early in the season.
Jose Mourinho’s men have not been particularly convincing away from home this term, having just about managed to beat RCD Espanyol in their opening match before falling to their only defeat of the campaign against Real Betis.
The hope will be to address that issue and put in a strong performance while collecting all three points heading into the derby against Atletico Madrid later in the week.
Going into the match, Los Blancos have not received any new fitness boosts, with Eder Militao, Rodrygo Goes, and Ferland Mendy still unavailable.
However, there will likely be some rotations with an eye on the derby, and here’s how Mourinho could set his team up against Elche tonight.
Defence
Trent Alexander-Arnold has had to share minutes with summer signing Denzel Dumfries so far this season, but will be hoping to make the right-back spot his own with a convincing performance tonight against Elche.
Meanwhile, on the left, Alvaro Carreras is expected to retain his place after a brilliant display at the weekend against Rayo Vallecano, which would also allow Marc Cucurella to be protected before the derby.
At centre-back, Dean Huijsen is expected to return to the starting lineup, at the expense of Antonio Rudiger, and partner with Ibrahima Konate.
Thibaut Courtois is the undisputed starter in goal for Real Madrid and will continue his search for a second clean sheet this season.
Midfield
While Aurelien Tchouameni has returned from his injury layoff, he is unlikely to be rushed back by Mourinho. As such, the Frenchman is likely to feature off the bench once again tonight at Elche.
Instead, the double pivot pairing of Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva is expected to take the field once again, with Eduardo Camavinga also having to settle for a spot among the substitutes.
Jude Bellingham has started all of Real Madrid’s matches so far this season and given his form and importance to the team, Mourinho will not rotate him tonight against Elche.
Attack
Yan Diomande made his first start at Real Madrid last weekend against Rayo Vallecano but failed to make the best impression.
Meanwhile, Arda Guler was once again brilliant for Los Blancos after coming on as a substitute, making a strong case for him to be reinstated to the starting XI on the right wing.
As for the left side of the attack, Vinicius Jr. will retain his place, hoping to find his best form after a rather slow start to the campaign.
Kylian Mbappe, who has now scored six goals in La Liga this season, will spearhead the attack, hoping to end his run of seven months without scoring away from home in the league.
