Antonio Rudiger has been recalled to Real Madrid's starting lineup for tonight's Champions League playoff second leg against Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The German defender has missed each of Los Blancos' last four matches with a thigh injury, including last week's 3-2 first-leg triumph at the Etihad Stadium, but he made a welcome return to training earlier this week and is now fit to start for the 15-time European champions.
Carlo Ancelotti has made a total of four changes to the side that began the 1-1 La Liga draw with Osasuna last weekend, with Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos and Rodrygo all returning along with Rudiger.
Mendy replaces Fran Garcia at left-back and will join Rudiger, Raul Asencio and captain Federico Valverde in the back four. David Alaba and Lucas Vazquez have both shaken off injury issues, but will begin tonight's match as substitutes.
Jude Bellingham, who was sent off at the weekend for dissent, scored a stoppage-time winner in the first leg at Man City and will link up with Ceballos and Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield, the latter of whom played in defence in the first leg.
Kylian Mbappe was also on the scoresheet at the Etihad and will join Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior in a three-man attack, while Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler and Endrick are all attacking options on the substitutes' bench.
© Imago
Haaland benched, Dias, Bernardo return to Man City XI
As for Man City, Pep Guardiola has made two changes to the side that thrashed Newcastle United 4-0 in the Premier League last Saturday.
The headline news for the Citizens is that Erling Haaland, who scored a brace in the first leg, has been named on the substitutes' bench and is seemingly not fully fit to start after picking up a minor knee injury in the closing stages of City's win over Newcastle.
However, Ruben Dias is fit to return to the starting lineup after missing last weekend's match; Nathan Ake and Jack Grealish are also fit to return to the matchday squad but will begin as substitutes.
Dias is set to partner John Stones - who played in midfield in the first leg - in central defence, as new signing Abdukodir Khusanov is handed his first Champions League start for the Citizens on the right side of defence, with Josko Gvardiol continuing on the left.
Bernardo Silva is the other Man City player recalled to Guardiola's lineup and will either operate centrally in midfield or out on the right flank, with Nico Gonzalez and Ilkay Gundogan set to link arms in the middle of the pitch.
Phil Foden will likely take up the number 10 role as Savinho plays on the left, while last weekend's hat-trick hero Omar Marmoush will lead the line in the absence of Haaland.
Real Madrid starting lineup: Courtois; Valverde, Rudiger, Asencio, Mendy; Tchouameni, Ceballos, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
Subs: Lunin, Sergio Mestre, Alaba, Camavinga, Modric, Guler, Endrick, Vazquez, Vallejo, Garcia, Diaz
Manchester City starting lineup: Ederson; Khusanov, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Bernardo, Foden, Savinho; Marmoush
Subs: Ortega, Carson, Ake, Kovacic, Haaland, Grealish, Doku, De Bruyne, Nunes, Lewis, McAtee
Oliver Thomas
