With a LaLiga title win seemingly achievable, Real Madrid will play its European future in England, where the team will visit Manchester City on March 17.
The outcome of the first leg, Pep Guardiola's men came back from a 1-0 lead from Real Madrid, with the last few minutes proving disastrous for the hosts as Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos got sent off just as Guardiola's men got the win.
To make up for the absence of the captain, Zinedine Zidane will have to put Éder Militao at the back alongside Raphaël Varane. The Brazilian, a former Porto player, has not had as much influence on the team as he had hoped, but Real Madrid signed him with this specific purpose.
There are high expectations for the defender, who will have to form the team's starting defense alongside the Frenchman in a few years' time when Sergio Ramos is due to retire.
Militao has played just 12 games this season, with only ten starts and only 902 minutes of play. That's very little for a player who arrived at the Bernabeu from Porto and after playing 47 games, with an impressive 4,150 minutes of play.
His adaptation has been slower than expected, and he has not played since the catastrophic 3-4 loss against Real Sociedad. His other three matches of this 2020 were the 1-3 against Unionistas in Copa del Rey, the 2-1 against Sevilla in La Liga, and a 0-3 against Getafe, match in which he did have a complete performance.
Facing the second leg of the round of sixteen of Champions, Zidane could choose to give him minutes against Betis and Eibar, Real's two next matches, although, taking into account what Real Madrid plays in La Liga, there is also the possibility that the Frenchman continues starting his most trusted options.