Real Madrid will be looking to bounce back from their heavy El Clásico defeat when they continue their 2024-25 Champions League campaign against AC Milan on Tuesday night.
Los Blancos have collected six points from their first three European games, sitting in 12th place in the Champions League standings. Milan, meanwhile, have only three points from their opening three matches, leaving them in 25th.
Madrid will be well-rested heading into the game, as their La Liga match against Valencia, scheduled for Saturday, was postponed due to severe flooding in Spain. This means Carlo Ancelotti's side hasn't played since their 4-0 loss to Barcelona on October 26, and by Sunday they could find themselves nine points behind the top of the La Liga table a concerning gap at this stage of the season.
However, Real Madrid's focus now turns to Europe, as they aim to secure a crucial three points to move to nine points in their Champions League group. The reigning European champions have beaten Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund this season, but suffered a loss to Lille last month. With six points from three matches, they sit just behind eighth-placed Sporting Lisbon.
Though they haven't hit top gear yet this season and have lost two of their last five matches across all competitions, Madrid will be hoping to get back on track with wins over Milan and Osasuna before the November international break.
This will be the 16th meeting between the two clubs, with both sides having won six times apiece in previous encounters. The last clash came in the group stage of the 2010-11 Champions League.
Historically, Milan have only won once at the Santiago Bernabéu, a 2009-10 Champions League group-stage victory. The most famous meeting between the two sides came in the 1958 European Cup final, where Real Madrid won 3-2.
Milan come into the game off the back of a 1-0 victory over Monza on Saturday, which helped them bounce back from a 2-0 defeat to Napoli at the end of last month.
Despite losing their first two Champions League matches this season to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, the Italian side secured a 3-1 win over Club Brugge in their last outing. With three points from three games, Milan currently sit in 25th place in the Champions League table.
In Serie A, Milan have picked up 17 points from their first 10 matches, placing them seventh in the league, two points behind fourth-placed Atalanta and eight points adrift of leaders Napoli.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Real Madrid will once again be without Dani Carvajal, Thibaut Courtois, Rodrygo, and David Alaba for Tuesday's Champions League clash, but Antonio Rudiger is expected to be fit after concerns over a recent knee issue.
Carlo Ancelotti should be able to field his strongest available lineup, as the team hasn’t played since El Clasico. No major surprises are anticipated for the starting XI on Tuesday night.
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé are set to lead the attack, while Luka Modric may start in midfield ahead of Aurelien Tchouameni, with Ancelotti likely opting for Modric's experience to provide more control in the center of the park.
For Milan, Luka Jovic, Matteo Gabbia, Ismael Bennacer, and Alessandro Florenzi are all sidelined through injury. However, Tammy Abraham has returned to the squad after missing time and will be available for selection.
Rafael Leao, who started on the bench against Monza and has had a slow start to the season with just one goal, is expected to return to the starting lineup against Madrid. Emerson Royal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could also be in line for recalls following the Monza match, while former Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata is likely to start up front.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Lunin; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Modric; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Royal, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Morata, Leao
EXPERT PREDICTION
Real Madrid 2-1 AC Milan
Milan have plenty of quality to give Real Madrid a tough time on Tuesday night, and we're expecting the Italian side to get on the scoresheet at the Bernabéu. However, despite their Clasico defeat, Los Blancos should have enough to bounce back and secure their third win in this season's Champions League group stage.
