Real Madrid entertain Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night in a repeat of last season’s Champions League final.
Los Blancos will be looking to respond after they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat at Lille last time out in Europe.
Carlo Ancelotti is spoilt for choice in offensive areas and Brahim Diaz has trained this week after a spell out injured, whilst David Alaba is nearing a return to action after a prolonged period out.
Former Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin has enjoyed a promising start to his tenure at Dortmund with the German side currently sitting at the top of the 36-team Champions League table.
Niklas Sule should be back available after suffering from gastrointestinal discomfort but Yan Couto and Karim Adeyemi are expected to miss out.
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund – Match Preview and Team News
Form
Real Madrid: WDLWW
The Spanish giants are currently unbeaten in La Liga after ten matches but trail fierce rivals Barcelona by three points.
It is a huge week for Real Madrid, who follow facing Dortmund with the first El Clásico of the campaign, as Barcelona arrive at the Bernabeu.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr earned the reigning La Liga champions a rewarding three points away at Celta Vigo at the weekend.
🙌 IT’S MATCHDAY! 🙌
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🕰️ 21:00 CEST
🏟️ Santiago Bernabéu
#️⃣ #UCL pic.twitter.com/Q42h7aM5JJ— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 22, 2024
After a slow start, Mbappe is rediscovering his prolificacy in front of goal and the 25-year-old has netted eight times already this term.
In Europe, it has been an uncharacteristic start for Real Madrid who unconvincingly edged out Stuttgart before losing at Lille.
Borussia Dortmund: LWWLW
Dortmund find themselves at the summit of the Champions League table and owe that to their 7-0 thrashing of Celtic last time they were in continental action.
They gave the Scottish champions an inhospitable welcome to the Signal Iduna Park and put seven past Brendan Rodgers’ side in a merciless performance. The Yellow and Black were 5-1 up at the interval with Karim Adeyemi netting a hat-trick.
Felix Nmecha and Serhou Guirassy completed the rout after the break and that result, coupled with a comprehensive victory over Club Brugge in Belgium, sees them top the standings.
Domestically, Nuri Sahin’s side currently reside in seventh place in the Bundesliga, although they are a mere four points off top spot.
Last Meeting: Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Real Madrid, Champions League, 1st June 2024.
In the last meeting, Real Madrid beat Dortmund to lift an unprecedented fifteenth Champions League title underneath the Wembley Arch.
Los Blancos are renowned for clutching up on crucial occasions and this instance was no different as Dortmund were defeated under the lights.
The Germans dominated proceedings in the first period and were agonisingly close to finding the opening goal as Niklas Fullkrug struck the post.
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👀 Relive La Decimoquinta with us!
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📺 FULL MATCH 👉 #RMPlay
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The game remained in the balance until the final quarter of an hour when Real Madrid stalwart Dani Carvajal rose highest to flick home a Toni Kroos corner and send the Real Madrid fans into raptures.
That goal knocked the wind out of Dortmund’s sails and Carlo Ancelotti’s team doubled their lead shortly after.
A loose pass from Ian Maatsen presented former Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham with the ball. His pass found Vinicius Jr and the Brazilian delicately finished to secure the coveted trophy for the serial winners.
Nacho Fernandez was the next player to immortalise himself in Real Madrid’s rich history as the Spaniard lifted the famous prize in London.
Predicted Lineups
Real Madrid: Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Tchouameni, Valverde, Camavinga; Vinicius Jr, Bellingham, Mbappe.
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Ryerson, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Gross, Can, Bynoe-Gittens, Brandt, Sabitzer; Guirassy.
Who is the referee?
Romanian referee István Kovács will be the match official. He will be assisted by Mihai Marica and George Florin Neacsu while Marcel Birsan will be the fourth official. The VAR is Pol van Boekel and he will be assisted by Erwin Blank.
What channel is Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund on?
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund will be available to watch on TNT Sports 2 and Discovery+.
What time is kick off?
Kick-off at the Santiago Bernabeu will be at 20:00 BST on Tuesday 22nd October 2024.
Odds
Real Madrid – 4/9
Draw – 17/4
Borussia Dortmund – 5/1
Read – Five huge European fixtures you must not miss this week
See more – Five who played for both Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund