How Madrid can cope without star midfielder Bellingham

Jude Bellingham will sit out Real Madrid's first Champions League knockout match of the season with an ankle injury.

Los Blancos take on RB Leipzig in tonight's first leg of their last-16 tie as they aim to win their 15th European crown.

Ahead of the contest at the Red Bull Arena, we take a look at how Carlo Ancelotti's men can cope without England's brightest talent.

Tough task

Bellingham has been enjoying a standout debut season at the Santiago Bernabeu, since arriving from Borussia Dortmund last summer.

In an advanced midfield role, the 20-year-old has bagged 16 LaLiga goals plus four further strikes in the Champions League.

Replacing such a dominant player in the heart of their midfield will be no easy feat for the Spanish giants yet they will confident, having won all five of their matches without the Birmingham academy product this term.

They have not been stretched either in those games, scoring 15 goals and conceding only three times.

Madrid are more than capable of putting on a show without their No5.

Possible replacements

Real always have a wealth of talent at their disposal and will need to use all their squad depth against their Bundesliga opponents.

Bellingham's obvious replacement would be Brahim Diaz and the 24-year-old has so far been Ancelotti's pick to fill in for the former Dortmund prospect.

In the five matches Bellingham has missed, Diaz has scored three times and provides an energetic presence either in the middle of the park or on the wing.

Alternatively, ex-Chelsea boss Ancelotti could hand an opportunity to either Joselu or Luka Modric.

The former remains Madrid's only recognised centre forward and veteran Modric has shown glimpses of the quality that won him the Ballon d'Or in 2018.

It is unlikely that Ancelotti will move away from his hybrid 4-4-2 formation against Leipzig and someone will have to step up and become the provider for Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in attack.

Preparing for everything

With so many possibilities for Madrid, Leipzig manager Marco Rose is preparing for every situation.

He said: "I don't believe he'll [Bellingham] be out until he's not in the stadium.

"I know Jude, he will do everything to play the Champions League game.

"I think he's at the right club and he made the right move. It doesn't surprise me that he made such an impact.

"But the fact that he scores so many goals came as a bit of a surprise. I had him for a year, he's a great guy and a great footballer with an unbelievable mentality."

Strength in numbers

Even by taking away Bellingham's 28 goal contributions this term, Madrid still have world-class talent in almost every position.

Between them, Vinicius and Rodrygo have 25 goals in all competitions and both scored in the top-of-the-table clash with Girona last Saturday, which Real won 4-0.

But if the attack struggles to fire against Leipzig, Los Blancos will likely remain firm at the back having conceded a division-low 15 goals in LaLiga.

Experienced figures such as Toni Kroos and Dani Carvajal may also help Ancelotti's men hold their nerve in Germany.

While losing Bellingham is a huge blow, the LaLiga leaders undoubtedly have all the tools to manage in his absence.