Vinicius Junior's comeback will strengthen Real Madrid's attacking lineup for the opening leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City, set to take place on Tuesday at Bernabeu.
After being suspended for Los Blancos' previous La Liga match - a 2-0 win against Athletic Bilbao on March 31, the Brazil international is set to make an immediate return to the starting lineup. As a result, former Manchester City prospect Brahim Diaz may have to sit out this time.
Nevertheless, it is unlikely that Eder Militao had a similar experience as he returned from a cruciate ligament injury in the same game. Despite his return, he was only able to play for a few minutes during second-half extra time on the bench.
Consequently, Carlo Ancelotti might refrain from immediately reintegrating Militao into the first team lineup. Moreover, Real Madrid's manager is currently lacking David Alaba and Thibaut Courtois due to their respective ACL issues.
Andriy Lunin currently holds the top goalkeeper spot for Real Madrid, overtaking Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga. He is backed by familiar defenders in Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger who protect his net.
Ancelotti's sole predicament lies with Aurelien Tchouameni, who exhibits the ability to cover for defence. His placement in that role would create a vacancy within midfield and offer Eduardo Camavinga or Luka Modric an opportunity to establish themselves as starters.
Despite Real's 13-game unbeaten streak, there is no justification for Ancelotti to replace captain Nacho Fernandez in the XI. Therefore, Tchouameni should remain as part of the midfield trio alongside Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos.
Jude Bellingham, who was previously a target for the City team and has scored four goals in this season's Champions League matches, continues to fulfill his role as an advanced midfielder. He will most likely be positioned behind Vinicius and Rodrygo - both Brazilian players on the team.
Here is a potential starting lineup for Real Madrid:
Lunin, Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho and Mendy make up the defense while Valverde, Tchouameni and Kroos hold down midfield. Up top is Bellingham with Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo flanking him on either side.