Álvaro Arbeloa names 23 for Real Madryt – Man City with seven sidelined

Álvaro Arbeloa announced a 23-player squad for the Real Madryt – Man City match, while seven first-team players are confirmed absent through injury. That constrained availability points toward greater reliance on returning senior figures and a cohort of promoted youth players ahead of the 9: 00 pm ET kick-off.

Álvaro Arbeloa announces 23-man squad for Real Madryt – Man City

Arbeloa selected 23 players for the first leg against Manchester City, listing three goalkeepers: Courtois, Łunin and Fran González. The full roster names defenders such as Carvajal, Trent, Asencio, Fran García, Rüdiger, Mendy, Huijsen and Diego Aguado, and forwards including Vinícius, Gonzalo, Brahim and Mastantuono.

Midfield options in the group include Eduardo Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouaméni and Arda Güler alongside youngsters Thiago Pitarch, Jorge Cestero, Manuel Ángel and César Palacios. Antonio Rüdiger is on the list despite recent minor health problems mentioned in the squad note.

Injuries to Militão, Bellingham and Rodrygo shape Arbeloa’s selection

Seven first-team players are absent for the match: Éder Militão, David Alaba, Álvaro Carreras, Dani Ceballos, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo. Militão suffered a hamstring tear at the beginning of December with tendon damage, while Bellingham injured the semitendinosus in February.

Rodrygo tore an anterior cruciate ligament and the lateral meniscus in early March and underwent surgery today, removing him from contention. Mbappé is listed with a new problem in the posterior cruciate ligament of his left knee; Alaba finished a match with Getafe with an overload in his left calf, and Álvaro Carreras has been managing a gastrocnemius calf muscle issue in his right leg.

Based on context data:

• Injured: Éder Militão (hamstring with tendon damage)
• Injured: Jude Bellingham (semitendinosus, left leg)
• Injured: Dani Ceballos (gastrocnemius, right leg)
• Injured: Kylian Mbappé (posterior cruciate, left knee)
• Injured: Rodrygo (ACL and lateral meniscus, right leg; operated today)
• Injured: David Alaba (left calf overload)
• Injured: Álvaro Carreras (gastrocnemius, right leg)

If X continues… / Should Y occur: two scenarios for Real Madryt – Man City

If the current list of absences holds through kick-off, Arbeloa will rely on the senior core present—Courtois or Łunin in goal, defenders including Rüdiger and Mendy, and midfielders Camavinga, Valverde and Tchouaméni—to stabilize the team. The 19-to-21-year-olds called up like Fran González, Diego Aguado and Thiago Pitarch would likely see involvement, increasing minutes for the promoted group in a high-stakes 1/8 final match.

Should Antonio Rüdiger or Eduardo Camavinga withdraw before the match—Rüdiger having had recent minor issues and Camavinga recovering from a dental problem—Arbeloa’s defensive and midfield depth would be tested further. In that case, names from the academy such as Huijsen or Diego Aguado could move from squad inclusion to starting roles, changing formation and rotation options for the encounter.

Closing: The next confirmed milestone in the context is the match kick-off at 9: 00 pm ET. What the context does not resolve is the exact starting XI Arbeloa will pick from his 23-man list; that selection will be the immediate signal of how he chooses to balance senior experience and the promoted youth group for the Real Madryt – Man City tie.