There’s still a long way to go in the maiden inauguration of the Champions League’s league phase, but defeat on Matchday 2 means there’s a semblance of pressure on Real Madrid as they take on Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.
Madrid, who were without Kylian Mbappe, were stunned by Lille last time out having opened their account with an unconvincing 3-1 defeat of Stuttgart in the Spanish capital. Dortmund, on the contrary, have been ruthless through two games, battering both Club Brugge and Celtic to top the table.
Their domestic form has been much spottier, however, with Edin Terzic’s successor, Nuri Sahin, yet to resolve the issues which undermined the end of his predecessor’s reign.
Still, the visitors will be out for revenge after Madrid beat them 2-0 in last season’s final at Wembley. Madrid enter the contest off the back of a morale-boosting 2-1 win at Celta Vigo and here’s the team Carlo Ancelotti could pick for BVB’s visit.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – The Belgian is struggling to tally up clean sheets at the start of the new season, but his status as Madrid’s number one is not under threat. Courtois will be aiming to slow down a proficient Dortmund attack on Tuesday.
RB: Lucas Vazquez – Vazquez, who extended his contract with the club in the summer, is going to get plenty of game time after Dani Carvajal’s anterior cruciate ligament tear.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – The Madrid mainstay was excellent in last season’s Champions League final, but he’ll have a different assignment on Tuesday with Serhou Guirassy, who joined Dortmund in the summer, heading into this contest in excellent goalscoring form.
CB: Eder Militao – Nacho Fernandez started ahead of Militao at Wembley, with the Brazilian making a substitute appearance. Militao, though, has re-asserted himself as Rudiger’s centre-back partner at the start of 2024/25.
LB: Ferland Mendy – Mendy has penned a deal at the start of the new season which will keep him in Madrid until 2027. Fran Garcia got the nod against Celta, but the French left-back is a sure bet to return to the team for Dortmund’s visit.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni – Ancelotti’s deployment of the Frenchman in a hybrid defensive role didn’t work at the weekend, so expect Tchouameni to return to his usual function at the base of midfield on Tuesday night.
CM: Federico Valverde – There was no hesitation in starting Valverde at the weekend despite his South American travails during the break. The relentless Uruguayan needs no rest.
CM: Jude Bellingham – The England international performed a rather unique and unfamiliar role at the weekend which was surely a one-off. Bellingham didn’t perform poorly in an advanced position toward the right flank, but it’d be a surprise to see him operate there against his former club.
RW: Rodrygo – With Bellingham dropping deeper, Rodrygo, who was an unused substitute at the weekend, should return to Ancelotti’s XI and work with Vazquez down Madrid’s right.
ST: Kylian Mbappe – Mbappe’s productive start to the season continue with an excellent goal at the weekend and there’s no doubt he’ll be included in the XI on Tuesday after missing Madrid’s defeat to Lille.
LW: Vinicius Junior – The Ballon d’Or favourite benefitted from Mbappe’s willingness to rotate out wide as well as Luka Modric’s killer pass to net the winner at Celta on Saturday. Vinicius continues to struggle for the national team, but his significance to Ancelotti’s side is undeniable.
