Ancelotti is clear about it, he must stop Haaland and he has chosen his new warrior

One of the worst pieces of news from the match against Espanyol was Rüdiger's injury. The German, with some discomfort in his knee, left the field long before the first half ended. This set off alarms in the team, which became more pronounced upon learning that Rüdiger will be out for two to three weeks.

This left Ancelotti without his best warrior to face Erling Haaland. However, in the search for a replacement for the German for the match against City, Asencio has been chosen by the Italian. The academy player will be responsible for continuing Rüdiger's work and stopping the Norwegian striker from any scoring opportunity.

Looking ahead to this match at the Etihad, the coach is already mentally preparing Asencio. Despite the great level he has shown in past matches, this will be completely different. The knockout stage against the English team could forever change the young center-back's career.

A unique opportunity

At just 21 years old, Asencio has managed to exceed all expectations placed on him. Showing his quality with the ball in addition to his strong mentality, the player has won the affection of the fans. However, since Tchouaméni's return, the Spaniard hasn't played as many minutes.

However, this is about to change in a knockout stage where Asencio is expected to take the leap to the next level. Being chosen by Ancelotti as the one responsible for stopping Haaland shows the enormous confidence he has in him.

In addition to this, Asencio will face his first major test, having to stop one of the best forwards today. If he manages to overcome this task, Asencio will have proven that he has what it takes to continue playing matches with the team.

All or nothing

The match against Manchester City is the great opportunity for Asencio to show that he has what Real Madrid needs.  This knockout stage could see the birth of a new merengue legend and a leader for the entire squad.