Gareth Bale is only fit enough to start from the bench in Real Madrid's Champions League semifinal first leg against Bayern Munich today. The Welsh winger was struggling with flu and missed training on Monday, meaning Isco has been given the nod instead.
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich: Lineups
Isco starts ahead of Gareth Bale for Real Madrid, while Bayern’s Rafinha gets the nod over Javi Martínez.
That's the only real surprise in Carlo Ancelotti's 11, though Bayern's Pep Guardiola has raised a few eyebrows with his selection. Brazilian right-back Rafinha starts ahead of midfielder Javi Martínez, whose inclusion would've likely seen the shifting of Philipp Lahm into defence to counteract Cristiano Ronaldo's threat. Instead, the Portuguese winger will be facing the Bavarians' weakest link.
However, there are some reports that Martínez has stomach problems, possibly explaining the choice. Elsewhere, there are no selection shocks, with Mario Mandžukić leading the attack.
Real Madrid: Iker Casillas; Fábio Coentrão, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Dani Carvajal; Ángel di María, Xabi Alonso, Luka Modrić; Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Isco.
Bayern Munich: Manuel Neuer; David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Dante, Rafinha; Philipp Lahm; Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos, Franck Ribéry; Mario Mandžukić
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