"What did he do wrong", "No way Ancelotti benched him" - Real Madrid fans surprised by star's exclusion from XI for Milan clash
Real Madrid fans on social media were left surprised by the exclusion of Eduardo Camavinga from their line-up to face AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, November 5. Camavinga was arguably Los Blancos' best player in their 4-0 defeat against Barcelona in their last match.
Carlo Ancelotti's starting line-up to face AC Milan features Andriy Lunin as the goalkeeper in first-choice keeper Thibaut Courtois' absence. The back-line includes Lucas Vasquez, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Ferland Mendy. The midfield includes Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham. Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe start up front for Real Madrid.
Madridistas took to X to react to the notable exclusion of Eduardo Camavinga from the starting XI. One user wrote:
"What did camavinga do wrong."
"Camavinga on the bench when he should be one of the first names on the team sheet. Utter rubbish," another user opined.
"He actually benched Camavinga. what’s wrong with him," a fan added.
"Tchouameni can we pls play Camavinga instead," a netizen jibed.
Here are some more reactions from fans:
"no way ancelotti benched camavinga."
"What else does Camavinga have to do to start a game???," an X user questioned.
"I’m so done with Ancelotti wtf is cama not starting," another person commented.
"Camavinga is the best Real Madrid player and is on the bench, please Carlo," a netizen wrote.
Eduardo Camavinga missed eight matches at the beginning of the season owing to a knee injury. However, he has featured in the starting XI for Los Blancos' last three LaLiga games since his return.
"We’ll try to play and win" - Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti ahead of AC Milan clash in the Champions League
In the pre-match press conference ahead of facing AC Milan, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti stated that he wanted to talk "as little as possible" about football due to the floods in Valencia. When asked about facing his former club, Ancelotti said (via milanreports):
"We’ll prepare because we’re professionals. We’ll try to play and win, of course. That’s what’s needed. (..) We have an important, special game against Milan."
AC Milan and Real Madrid have faced each other 15 times in European competitions. Both teams have won six times each, while three games ended in draws. Milan have scored 25 goals against the Spanish giants, while Los Blancos have found the net 24 times.
It is also worth noting that Carlo Ancelotti has previously managed Milan between 2001 and 2009 and also played for them during his senior career (1987-1992). He won the European Cup (now the UEFA Champions League) with I Rossoneri twice each as a player and a manager. Ancelotti also led Milan to one Serie A title, one Coppa Italia and one Supercoppa Italiana title during his managerial stint.