Official: Real Madrid starting eleven against Manchester City | Mbappe starts on bench | OneFootball

Real Madrid have officially announced their starting eleven that will take on Manchester City at the Etihad tonight.

Coach Xabi Alonso, who is facing a litmus test, has made a few eye-opening changes from the side that succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo in the last match.

The biggest change comes in the form of Gonzalo Garcia replacing Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman had suffered a knock during the Celta Vigo game.

In his stead, Garcia will lead the Real Madrid frontline alongside Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo, in what appears to be a 4-3-3 formation.

Jude Bellingham continues in midfield, with Alonso opting to start Arda Guler on the bench tonight. The Englishman, therefore, will be partnered by Dani Ceballos, with Aurelien Tchouameni operating in a more defensive role.

Federico Valverde, meanwhile, starts at right-back, replacing Raul Asencio, who moves into a centre-back role, partnering Antonio Rudiger.

Alvaro Carreras occupies the left-back role ahead of Fran Garcia. The former SL Benfica star is likely to operate as a traditional fullback tonight.

Thibaut Courtois starts in goal as usual. The Belgian is bracing himself for yet another busy night, up against a Man City frontline led by none other than Erling Haaland.