This week's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich is pretty much Real Madrid's season. With the league surely out of reach, and having been eliminated from the Copa del Rey in January, the Champions League is the last chance at silverware in 2026. Arbeloa has a number of big decisions to make with his lineup, and it seems he's already made one of the biggest at the expense one of Real's biggest name midfielders.
As being reported by Mario Cortegana of The Athletic, Alvaro Arbeloa is expected to play Thiago Pitarch in the midfield against Bayern Munich, preferring the 18-year-old over Eduardo Camavinga. The Frenchman's recent poor performances against Mallorca and Girona has raised doubts about playing him in what is the biggest match in Real Madrid's season.
Eduardo Camavinga has gotten his chain snatched by an 18-year-old
With Aurelien Tchouameni suspended for the second leg, many expected Camavinga to naturally be his replacement, however following his poor display in Real's 1-1 draw with Girona, he has practically played himself out of Arbeloa's lineup, with the manager preferring the 18-year-old Pitarch, trusting him to be the difference maker that Camavinga has failed to make himself into.
The Frenchman failed to control the game, and looked uncomfortable in a deeper laying role, getting caught out of position on a number of occasions, most crucially leading to Girona's equalizer. He was also used in more of a defensive midfield role two weeks ago against Mallorca and the same issues plagued the midfielder, who was caught out of position for both of Mallorca's goals ultimately costing Los Blancos a crucial three points.
As a result Arbeloa has decided to make a major call and trust Thiago Pitarch in the biggest game of the season. The Castilla product is expected to lineup in a midfield with Fede Valverde, Jude Bellingham, and Arda Guler, forming the core defensive shape alongside Valverde. Pitarch has shown multiple times this season that he has what it takes to play on the big stage with standout performances against Benfica and Manchester City, and he looked solid in the first leg against this dominant Bayern Munich team.
This season definitely hasn't been the easiest for Camavinga, he was once seen as a reliable player across multiple different positions on the pitch and was someone Xabi Alonso tried his hardest to get back to his best before his departure. However the Frenchman has struggled massively under Arbeloa leading many to question if this could be the beginning of the end for Camavinga at the Bernabeu.
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