Real Madrid key duo start vs Atletico despite not being 100% fit | OneFootball

With less than an hour remaining before Real Madrid’s big clash with Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, the reigning European champions have already announced their starting eleven.

The biggest takeaway from Real Madrid’s starting eleven was the inclusion of both Federico Valverde and Antonio Rudiger, two players who are far from their peak physical condition.

Real Madrid’s big gamble

The inclusion of Valverde and Rudiger indicates one thing: Real Madrid are ready to go all out against their city rivals tonight.

It appears coach Carlo Ancelotti is not willing to make any adjustments to his starting eleven and is pushing for Valverde and Rudiger to play the entire game despite obvious concerns around their fitness.

As reported by AS, Rudiger and Valverde are both on edge, far from being 100% fit enough to play the entire ninety minutes.

Real Madrid are running the risk of aggravating Valverde’s knock (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Valverde, in particular, is playing for the first time since the UCL knockout playoff second leg tie against Manchester City after not featuring vs Girona and then being out of the games against Real Sociedad and Real Betis.

The Uruguayan international starting ahead of Lucas Vazquez speaks volumes about how much Ancelotti trusts the player, especially in the right-back position.

As for Rudiger, the German has played a bit more than Valverde over the past few weeks. However, the veteran defender looked to be struggling against Real Betis, which further raises question marks over his selection in the team.

Ancelotti, though, believes Rudiger could be his best bet in central defence, with the German set to start alongside Raul Asencio at the heart of Real Madrid’s four-man backline.

It must be noted that Rudiger is also running a suspension risk, as a potential booking tonight could see him getting ruled out of the second leg.