Real Madrid return to Champions League action against Italian giants AC Milan on Tuesday night, desperate to bounce back from that disappointing defeat in El Clasico over the weekend. Both clubs have been experiencing mixed fortunes in the tournament thus far. With six points from three matches, Real Madrid lie 12th in the table while Milan currently lies 25th with three points from their first three games.
Match Preview
Real Madrid comes into this encounter fresher following the postponement of their La Liga match against Valencia because of heavy flooding in Spain. This could work to the advantage of Carlo Ancelotti’s men, who suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona back on October 26. Now fully concentrating on the Champions League, Real Madrid seeks to move up to nine points in the group stage.
Despite their recent struggles, Ancelotti’s squad have secured victories against Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund in Europe, while losing to Lille. Their six points leave them a point behind eighth-placed Sporting Lisbon. Inconsistent performances of late see Los Blancos having picked up just three wins from their last five in all competitions as they seek a positive result ahead of the international break.
Historically, Real Madrid and AC Milan have faced each other 15 times, and both teams have managed to win six matches. They haven’t played since the group stage of the Champions League in 2010-11. The interesting fact is Milan has won just once at the Bernabeu, and it was in 2009; a club with whom they had their most memorable fight in the final of the 1958 European Cup, winning 3-2.
AC Milan, however started their Champions League campaign with successive defeats to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen before rebounding with a 3-1 win over Club Brugge. Paulo Fonseca’s men head into this encounter in light of a 1-0 Serie A win over Monza, result and performance that were hugely needed following a defeat at Napoli. Currently seventh in Serie A with 17 points, Milan sits two points below fourth-place Atalanta and trails leaders Napoli by eight points.
Team Form
Real Madrid – Champions League: WLW
Real Madrid – All Competitions: DLWWWL
AC Milan – Champions League: LLW
AC Milan – All Competitions: LLWWLW
Team News
Real Madrid will be without Dani Carvajal, Thibaut Courtois, Rodrygo, and David Alaba. Antonio Rudiger should start, having played despite recent knee problems. Having had no games since El Clasico, Ancelotti can field his best available XI, with Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe up front. Luka Modric might play instead of Aurelien Tchouameni for an extra controlling presence in midfield.
Milan will also be missing the injured Luka Jovic, Matteo Gabbia, Ismael Bennacer, and Alessandro Florenzi. Tammy Abraham was back in action against Monza and should feature while Rafael Leao came off the bench in the last game and may find his way into the lineup against Madrid. Emerson Royal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are set to return, while Alvaro Morata should start up front against his old club.
Predicted Lineups
Real Madrid Possible Starting XI:
Lunin; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Modric; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe
AC Milan Possible Starting XI:
Maignan; Royal, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Morata, Leao
Prediction
We predict Real Madrid 2-1 AC Milan. Milan has the quality to challenge Madrid and may find the net, but Los Blancos are expected to secure a win and bounce back from their recent league disappointment.
