Open Thread: 15 February 2026

Madrid—Real Madrid’s chartered flight to Lisbon is scheduled for Sunday morning, barely 24 hours before they open their Champions League last-16 tie at the Estádio da Luz. Carlo Ancelotti will front the pre-match formalities at 19:15 local time, followed by an 20:00 open training session under the Lisbon floodlights.

The club confirmed that Marco Asensio, who celebrates his 23rd birthday today, and Rodrygo Goes have not travelled as they continue their rehabilitation programs. Their absence leaves Ancelotti to re-shape a forward line already coping with mid-season fatigue.

Defensive relief, however, arrives in the form of Antonio Rüdiger. The German centre-back, cleared after a thigh complaint, re-enters the squad at a pivotal stage of the campaign. “His timing, aerial presence and ability to organise the back four are exactly what we need right now,” a club source told The Daily Merengue.

Tactical focus has zeroed in on the right flank, where Trent Alexander-Arnold’s influence is quantifiable. With the England full-back on the pitch, 47 % of opposition wide attacks are funnelled down Madrid’s right side; without him, that figure plummets to 31 %. The swing—53 % left-leaning when he plays, 69 % when he does not—underscores his role as both attacking fulcrum and defensive reference point.

“Watching Trent is like watching a Swiss watch in motion,” the club briefing note observed. “Every pass, every line he draws seems inevitable and perfect.” The lingering question, repeated inside Valdebebas this week, is durability: can the 26-year-old stay healthy through the spring, or at least for the ties that matter most?

Ancelotti is expected to answer that query, and reveal his starting XI, when he faces the media in Lisbon on Sunday evening.