"Has no business being on the bench" - Real Madrid fans unhappy with superstar's exclusion from starting XI for UCL S/F clash against Bayern
Real Madrid fans are perplexed by Carlo Ancelotti's decision to name Eduardo Camavinga on the bench for their UEFA Champions League clash with Bayern Munich tonight (May 8). Los Blancos host the Bavarians at the Santiago Bernabeu in the second leg of their semifinal with the scores tied at 2-2 on aggregate.
Camavinga didn't start the first leg and Ancelotti has opted to name him on the bench once again tonight. The French midfielder has enjoyed a fine season where he's played a variety of positions including central and defensive midfield and at left-back. The 21-year-old has appeared 40 times across competitions, registering three assists.
Ancelotti has made just one change to Real Madrid's starting lineup from the first leg. Dani Carvajal comes in at right-back for Lucas Vazquez who joins Camavinga on the bench.
Los Merengues head into tonight's Champions League showdown with Bayern off a 3-0 win against Cadiz in La Liga. They were crowned La Liga champions after Barcelona suffered a 4-2 loss to Girona.
Thus, Madrid will be in high spirits as they look to advance to the final at Wembley on June 1. The winners of tonight's encounter will collide with Borussia Dortmund who booked their place in the final last night.
Ancelotti has gone with Andriy Lunin in goal, with Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho Fernandez, and Ferland Mendy in defense.
Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Toni Kroos start in midfield.
Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Rodrygo are in attack for Real Madrid.
However, some fans aren't too optimistic given Camavinga failed to earn a start. One fan disagreed with Ancelotti's decision:
"Camavinga has no business being on the bench (in my opinion) but, yeah I hope Nacho has his best game ever in a Real Madrid shirt today."
Other fans gave similar responses on X (formerly Twitter) with one feeling his energy was needed:
"Why is Camavinga benched? His energy is needed on the pitch for the full 90 minutes."
Another fan was confused to see the France international not start:
"(What do you mean) Camavinga starts... on the bench?"
One fan insisted Camavinga deserved to start against Bayern:
"What must Camavinga do to start because he deserves to start."
Ancelotti was told by one fan that he'd made a poor decision:
"Benching Camavinga again... Extremely poor decision."
Manuel Neuer insists Bayern Munich know Real Madrid's weak points
Bayern and Real Madrid played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Allianz Arena (April 30). Vinicius Junior gave the visitors the lead in the 24th minute with a fine finish. The Bundesliga giants hit back through Leroy Sane's 53rd-minute effort.
Harry Kane netted from the spot four minutes later to put the Bavarians in front. That was until Vinicius grabbed a brace by scoring a penalty of his own in the 83rd minute.
It was an intriguing battle in Munich with the two European giants trying to work one another out. Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer suggests Thomas Tuchel's men have done just that (via Football Espana):
"We are facing a great team, we know them well. We know what their weak points and strengths are. We cannot be afraid or scared, we have to trust the teammate next to us and turn the environment and pressure into something positive."
Bayern have the opportunity to put a disappointing Bundesliga campaign behind them. They surrendered the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen for the first time since 2013 and the Champions League is their only hope of trophy success.