Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich on Tuesday night in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, renewing what is the greatest rivalry in European football spanning different leagues. After losing to Mallorca 2-1 over the weekend while Bayern took care of business without Harry Kane in a come from behind victory over an underrated Freiburg side, Real Madrid have a chip on their shoulder to prove that Bayern are not the favorites in this competition.
Bayern have been so dominant under Vincent Kompany with their vaunted front three that most analysts are penning them as the best team in the world. So now the burden of proof is on the record Champions League winners to prove that their dysfunction in the league is either behind them or not a factor in their signature competition.
Star center midfielder Jude Bellingham is one of the many interesting questions manager Alvaro Arbeloa has to answer after Saturday's tough La Liga loss. Bellingham has only recently returned from a significant hamstring injury, and he was determined not ready to start against Mallorca, instead coming off the bench.
Will Jude Bellingham start vs. Bayern?
Real were poor against Mallorca, with Eduardo Camavinga disappointing in midfield. But Jude was not the only star player Arbeloa did not play, as he also rested young defensive midfielder Thiago Pitarch, who is quietly becoming an untouchable in his own right. And in whispered tones, some Madridistas will say that they prefer him to Jude.
But we cannot forget what Jude has done for both this team in 2023/24 when Real Madrid won the Champions League and La Liga before Kylian Mbappe arrived and the formula changed for him, or what he did before that as the star man for Borussia Dortmund that led to his 100 million euro move.
According to Mario de la Riva of Diario AS, Jude Bellingham starting against Bayern Munich is not a sure thing and is one of the big decisions for Arbeloa to weigh. Bellingham is a monster in midfield who can play as a box to box wide midfielder, a classic No. 8, or closer to goal as almost a false nine or a false ten in that 9.5 vein.
Arbeloa has not shied away from making the bold decisions despite his inexperience at the elite level. He can choose to roll the dice with Aurelien Tchouameni and Thiago Pitarch forming the base and Arda Guler and Fede Valverde doing the rest, or he can bring in Jude for Pitarch or even one of the others. It is an unenviable position to be in.