Carlo Ancelotti will change his formative when Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund lock horns in a UEFA Champions League tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Real Madrid will be eager to return to winning ways in the UEFA Champions League when they welcome Borussia Dortmund to the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night. And Carlo Ancelotti does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Dani Carvajal and David Alaba remain long-term absentees due to knee injuries, with the former done for the 2024/25 season. In addition, Brahim Diaz is still on the sidelines because of a leg issue. Apart from the trio, Ancelotti’s matchday squad does not have any surprise exclusions.
Meanwhile, the Italian tactician did not provide any team news updates during his pre-match press conference. However, he spoke about several players and their performances, including Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe.
The Real Madrid manager said, “We’re happy with his [Bellingham] work because he works hard for the team and he always competes, fights and gives his all. He hasn’t scored the goals he did last season, but the surprise was last year when he scored a lot of goals that nobody expected. We’ve always scored goals and we’re going to score them because we’ve got very talented players. The work he’s doing is more important now than the goals he scored last year.”
On Mbappe, Ancelotti said, “The only thing I ask of him is to score goals. I prefer him to score goals rather than press. The centre-forward’s position with us hasn’t changed. I ask him the same as Karim, which is to position himself well and be ready when we win the ball back to make a quick transition.”
Ancelotti will abandon the system he used this past weekend against Celta Vigo and return to the 4-3-3 formation when Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund meet on Tuesday. Thibaut Courtois is the automatic pick between the sticks, with the backline featuring Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Ferland Mendy.
As for the midfield unit, Federico Valverde will return to the starting lineup, joining Aurelien Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham in the middle of the park. Finally, Kylian Mbappe will lead the line for the home side, with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo completing the numbers in the offensive trifecta.
Predicted Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
