Real Madrid vs. PSG: This is the Starting XI Carlo Ancelotti should pick

Real Madrid are trailing PSG 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, and the suspensions of Casemiro and Ferland Mendy for the 2nd leg only make things a bit more complex for Los Blancos.

The biggest question heading into the game, at least from a Real Madrid perspective, is which 11 players will Ancelotti field.

Ancelotti has faced a lot of flak for not using his squad depth well. He seems to be hell-bent on using a certain set of players that make it to the starting XI almost every time, leaving the fringe players with almost little to no time.

This time, though, out of necessity, Carlo will have to make at least two changes from the team that started the 1st leg.

Here is the starting XI, in my opinion, that Carlo Ancelotti SHOULD pick for the 2nd leg:

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois, DUH!

Not Karim Benzema, not Toni Kroos, not Vinícius Júnior, Thibaut Courtois has been the best Real Madrid player this season. Hands down. It might be up for debate among fans as to who has been the best player for Los Blancos this season, but in my opinion, Thibaut Courtois has been the most consistent performer this season.

With Ferland Mendy and Casemiro getting suspended for the 2nd leg, Thibaut Courtois will be expected to deal with the all-star Paris Saint-Germain attack.

Defence: The best-possible Real Madrid back-four available

With Ferland Mendy out for the game, Carlo Ancelotti will have to make do with his makeshift defence.

Dani Carvajal has to start the game. He is the best option at right-back and the experience of winning four Champions Leagues can come in handy big-time if Real Madrid are to keep Kylian Mbappé quiet.

In central defence, the in-form Éder Militão must be partnered by Mr. Reliable Nacho, with David Alaba slotting in at left-back. I am sure Nacho will replace Ferland Mendy in the XI, but if Carlo Ancelotti is smart enough, he will play Nacho as his preferred centre-back position and push Alaba out wide on the left, a position he has played at for most of his life. Alaba can help in attack too, and Real Madrid will need all the help they need to overturn the 1st leg deficit.

Midfield: KMC – Kroos, Modric, Camavinga

Carlo Ancelotti MUST start former Ligue 1 starlet Eduardo Camavinga, a player who has the experience of playing against PSG in the recent past. However, Camavinga shouldn’t play at the base of the midfield as the holding midfielder because he is not a natural defensive midfielder like Casemiro.

Instead, Toni Kroos should play as the deepest midfielder, not exactly as a defensive midfielder (the German has expressed his displeasure at being as a #6 during Julen Lopetegui’s reign), but as a quarterback, exactly the way he played against Inter Milan in the 2-0 win in the group stage of UEFA Champions League in 2020-21.

Luka Modrić should operate the way he usually does. Camavinga will thrive in a box-to-box role, where he can utilise his ball-carrying ability to perfection. The energy that the French teenager can provide will be very valuable to Real Madrid. A Kroos-Modrić-Camavinga should work perfectly fine.

Attack: A three-pronged forward line featuring Fede Valverde

Many of you must have raised your eyebrows when you couldn’t find Fede Valverde’s name as one of the three starting midfielders. Fede Valverde needs to start the game on the right wing. Not as an archetypal winger, but someone who can help Dani Carvajal defensively and also provide pace on the break.

The formation could be an asymmetrical 4-3-3 that transitions into a diamond 4-4-2 when Real Madrid are in position. Kroos can play at the base of the midfield, with Camavinga playing as a box-to-box midfielder while Valverde functions as a midfielder-winger hybrid (somewhat similar to Ángel Di María during 2013-14).

Marco Asensio vs. Nuno Mendes is a battle that the latter won rather convincingly, and we’ve seen this season that Asensio tends to struggle against pacey left-backs because he isn’t a traditional winger. Rodrygo is the next best option at right wing after Asensio, but he hasn’t had a string of starts under his belt to warrant a start in a game as huge as the PSG 2nd leg. We don’t know about Gareth Bale’s return yet.

That leaves us with two spots in the attack which, obviously, will be filled by Vinícius Júnior on the left wing and Karim Benzema as the centre forward.

Carlo Ancelotti must not make any further lineup blunders, especially not against PSG. Who do you think should/will Ancelotti start?