Real Madrid have a commanding 3-0 lead in the Champions League Round of 16 against rivals Manchester City, but out of all teams in world football, the Merengues know that no lead can be taken for granted in Europe’s premier club competition.
Although Alvaro Carreras is finally set to be in the squad for Real Madrid after missing a few games with an injury, the starting left back may not actually be the starter on Tuesday night.
With Ferland Mendy also injured, COPE reports that Fran Garcia, who started at the weekend against Elche, could very well be the starting left back Alvaro Arbeloa has to turn to vs. Manchester City.
Fran is not a bad player, but he is clearly not as confident and a cut below Alvaro and Mendy at left back. He was great this weekend, stepping up huge in a massive win over a tricky Elche side.
But going up against explosive athletes like Antoine Semenyo and Savinho on Manchester City, Fran could get exposed, and he has often underwhelmed in his Real Madrid career in the big games against the elite forwards of world football.
So if Fran starts, Real Madrid fans will be on egg shells, hoping that the better version of the Spaniard shows up, rather than the one who often looks like a deer in head lights.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.