Real Madrid look to shake off their El Clasico drubbing and the fallout from their Ballon d’Or ceremony no-show as they resume their 2024-25 Champions League campaign against Italian giants AC Milan on Tuesday night.
Los Blancos have earned six points from three European fixtures, placing them 12th in the Champions League standings.
Milan, with three points from their three games, are in 25th place.
Real Madrid enter their Champions League clash with AC Milan well-rested after their La Liga match against Valencia, originally scheduled for Saturday night, was postponed due to severe flooding in Spain.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side hasn’t played since their 4-0 loss to Barcelona on Oct. 26 and could find themselves nine points behind the La Liga leaders by Sunday evening – an early-season gap that could raise concerns.
For now, though, Real Madrid must set aside their domestic campaign to focus on Europe, aiming to reach nine points in the Champions League standings.
The reigning European champions have notched wins over Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund but stumbled with a loss to Lille, leaving them in 12th place with six points, just one point behind eighth-place Sporting Lisbon.
Los Blancos have struggled for consistency this season, losing two of their last five matches across all competitions.
They hope for consecutive wins against Milan and Osasuna before the November international break.
Madrid and Milan have faced off 15 times, each winning six encounters; however, this will be their first meeting since the 2010-11 Champions League group stage.
Milan’s only win at the Bernabeu came during the 2009-10 Champions League group stage, though the most memorable clash between these two sides was the 1958 European Cup final, where Real Madrid claimed a thrilling 3-2 victory.
The last six encounters between Real and Milan have all taken place in the Champions League group stage, with Milan securing two wins.
The Italian side will aim to pull off an upset on Tuesday night.
The Rossoneri began this season’s Champions League campaign with back-to-back losses to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, rebounding with a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge.
They currently sit in 25th place with three points from three games.
Under Paulo Fonseca, Milan come into this match fresh off a 1-0 win over Monza, shaking off a 2-0 home defeat to Napoli in late October.
With 17 points from their first 10 Serie A games, Milan currently sit in seventh, two points behind fourth-place Atalanta and eight off league leaders Napoli.
Real Madrid will again be without Dani Carvajal, Thibaut Courtois, Rodrygo and David Alaba for Tuesday’s Champions League clash, though Antonio Rudiger is expected to play despite recent knee concerns.
With the extended break since El Clasico, Ancelotti has his strongest available XI ready, and no major surprises are expected in the lineup.
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe are set to lead the attack, while Luka Modric may start over Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield, as Ancelotti seeks more control in that area.
For Milan, injuries have sidelined Luka Jovic, Matteo Gabbia, Ismael Bennacer, and Alessandro Florenzi, but Tammy Abraham is available after his return against Monza.
Rafael Leao, who started on the bench last game amid a slow start to the season with just one goal, is expected to be in the XI against Real Madrid, according to coach Paulo Fonseca.
Emerson Royal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also likely to return, while former Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata is expected to start up front.
