Why is Jude Bellingham not playing against Bayern today? Real Madrid team news update
Bellingham is back in contention for Real Madrid after recovering from injury, but last started for Los Blancos over two months ago.
As he continues his reintegration into the team after an injury layoff, Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham appears likelier to start among the substitutes today, as Los Merengues face Bayern Munich in a heavyweight Champions League tie.
Chasing a record-extending 16th continental title, Madrid host Bayern in the first leg of the quarterfinals, in the 29th all-time European Cup meeting between the teams. A semifinal against Liverpool or Paris Saint-Germain awaits the winner of the two-legged tie, which will conclude at Bayern’s Allianz Arena next Wednesday.
When did Bellingham last start for Real Madrid?
Bellingham last started for Madrid back on Feb. 1, in a LaLiga win over Rayo Vallecano that saw the England star limp off with a hamstring injury.
Since then, the 22-year-old has been limited to two substitute appearances for Madrid. After seven weeks out, he returned from his muscle injury with a 17-minute cameo in Mar. 22’s league win over city rivals Atlético Madrid. On Saturday, the midfielder then played just over half an hour in Madrid’s damaging LaLiga defeat to Real Mallorca.
“We need patience”
In between those two runouts off the bench, Bellingham joined up with the England squad for the Three Lions’ March friendlies with Uruguay and Japan, but did not play in either game. “We will not take risks with Jude because he is coming off a muscle injury and you never know what might happen,” England boss Thomas Tuchel said after Mar. 27’s 1-1 draw with the Uruguayans.
Speaking after Madrid’s defeat to Mallorca, which left Los Blancos seven points behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona, Arbeloa adopted a similarly cautious tone, stressing his determination not to rush the player back. “He’s been out for many weeks,” the coach said.
“He played 20 minutes against Atlético. Today it was a little over half an hour. The idea is to let him keep gaining match rhythm. He can’t be at his best without playing regularly. We need patience.”
Thiago or Jude?
During Bellingham’s injury absence, youth product Thiago Pitarch emerged as an outstanding performer in Madrid’s midfield, starting six times as Arbeloa largely settled on a four-man engine room also comprising Aurélien Tchouaméni, Arda Güler and Fede Valverde. Bellingham’s lack of match sharpness means Pitarch is likely to start ahead of the Englishman today, but Madrid’s head coach faces a selection conundrum moving forward.
In his pre-Bayern press conference on Monday, however, Arbeloa said it is “a blessed problem” to have to fit Bellingham back into his Madrid side. “What changes [when Bellingham is on the field] is that we are a better team, I am convinced of that,” the coach said. “He has different qualities from other teammates and when he is on the pitch we have to adapt. That is what football is about, building relationships between players.”
Real Madrid squad to face Bayern Munich:
Check out Real Madrid’s predicted lineup against Bayern Munich today.
Who’s out of Real Madrid’s clash with Bayern? Injured/suspended players:
- Thibaut Courtois (thigh injury)
- Ferland Mendy (hamstring injury)
- Rodrygo Goes (knee injury)
Who is one yellow card away from a suspension?
- Jude Bellingham
- Álvaro Carreras
- Dean Huijsen
- Kylian Mbappé
- Aurélien Tchouaméni
- Vinícius Júnior
Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: kickoff times, how to watch in the U.S.
Kickoff at the Estadio Bernabéu is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. local time; in the United States, that’s 3:00 p.m. ET/12 noon PT. Viewers in the U.S. can watch Madrid vs Bayern on Paramount+, DAZN USA, TUDN USA, Univision and ViX. You can also follow live-text coverage of the clash right here at AS USA.
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