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Xabi Alonso got booked against Bayern Munich, and that means he will not be able to play in the Champions League Final against Atlético de Madrid. We decided to ask our readers about Alonso's replacement for that match in Lisbon, and Illarramendi won the poll. It's not what you call a huge win in terms of margin, but he got it anyway.
With more than 1,000 votes collected, the Basque midfielder won the battle against Isco Alarcón by just 14 votes. Remember that Carlo Ancelotti indicated today that Illarramendi is Alonso's most natural replacement, something that could be read as "Illarramendi is going to start". Casemiro and Ramos' options have not been very popular, although some analysts like Spanish football expert Axel Torres have said that the Brazilian would be their choice.
Spanish football expert @AxelTorres says he would choose Casemiro because "he has better defensive concepts. And it'll be an aggresive game"
— Managing Madrid (@managingmadrid) Mayo 1, 2014
If Illarramendi is indeed going to start, he might as well play some games before in order to get ready. Furthermore, Alonso should give him some advice too!
Remember we will have some deep coverage on Ancelotti's options to replace Alonso soon. Stay tuned!