Real to restore pride against AC Milan in Champions League clash
Real Madrid will be aiming to bounce back from a heavy defeat in El Clasico when they continue their 2024-25 Champions League campaign with a contest against Italian giants, AC Milan, on today.
Los Blancos have picked up six points from their three European matches this season to occupy 12th in the Champions League table, while Milan have collected three points from their opening three games to sit in 25th position.
Real Madrid will be well-rested heading into their European contest with Milan, as their La Liga contest with Valencia, which was due to take place on Saturday night, was postponed due to the devastating floods in Spain.
As a result, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have not been in action since their 4-0 loss to Barcelona on October 26, and are nine points off the top of the La Liga table after Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Espanyol Sunday evening.
Real Madrid must put league matters aside for the moment, though, and fully focus on the Champions League, with the reigning European champions bidding to move onto nine points in the Champions League table.
Ancelotti’s team have beaten Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund in the competition this season, but they lost in Lille last month, and a total of six points from three matches has left them in 12th spot, one point behind eighth-placed Sporting Lisbon.
Los Blancos are yet to hit full flow this season and have now lost two of their last five matches in all competitions, but they will be expecting to record two wins over Milan and Osasuna ahead of the November international break.
Real Madrid have faced Milan on 15 previous occasions, with both sides posting six wins, but this will be the first meeting between the two sides since the group stage of the 2010-11 Champions League.
Milan have only ever won once at Bernabeu, which came in the group stage of the 2009- 10 Champions League, and the most famous meeting between the two sides took place in the final of the 1958 European Cup, with Real Madrid recording a 3-2 victory.
The last six meetings between the two sides have taken place in the group stage of the Champions League, with Milan posting two wins during that period, and the Italian giants will be aiming to secure an upset on Tuesday night.
The Red and Blacks lost their opening two matches in the league phase of this season’s competition to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, before recording a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge last time out, a total of three points from three matches has left them in 25th spot.
Paulo Fonseca’s side will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Monza on Saturday, with the team bouncing back from their 2-0 home defeat to Napoli at the end of last month.
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe are set to feature as the front two, but Luka Modric may be given the nod over Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of midfield, with Ancelotti wanting more control in that area of the field.
Rafael Leao started from the bench against Monza, with the attacker only managing one goal during a disappointing start to the campaign, but Fonseca has hinted that the Portugal international will be in the XI against Real Madrid.
Emerson Royal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also expected to earn recalls following the clash with Monza, while there should be a spot at centre-forward for former Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata.
–Sportsmole
