Undoubtedly the pick of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 ties, Real Madrid entertain cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg on Tuesday evening.
Los Blancos qualified for the knockout rounds after eliminating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 6-3 on aggregate. They have not had an easy ride in the Champions League this season, while the league form has floundered of late, winning just once in their last five games.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men were beaten 2-1 by Real Betis last weekend, which saw them drop to third in the La Liga table. The Italian tactician, however, will look to inspire his team past Atletico Madrid, who head into this titanic battle on the back of a 1-0 league win over Athletic Bilbao.
Real Madrid Team News
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham is suspended for the visit of Atletico Madrid on account of picking up his third yellow card of this campaign’s Champions League in the home win over Manchester City.
The home side will also be without the injured quartet of Dani Carvajal, Dani Ceballos, Eder Militao and Jesus Vallejo, but Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Federico Valverde will be available again following discomfort that saw him miss the Real Betis loss.
Predicted Real Madrid lineup vs Atletico Madrid (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Real Madrid will rely on Thibaut Courtois to step up and produce big moments when required. A clean sheet at home will be vital for Ancelotti’s side ahead of next week’s return leg.
Defence
In a 4-3-3 formation, Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy should operate as the full-backs. The duo must try to stretch Atletico’s defence with their smart overlapping and underlapping runs whenever they get an opportunity.
Needless to say, Vazquez and Mendy must provide covering for centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio, who could replace David Alaba in the XI after being an unused substitute in the 2-1 defeat to Betis.
Midfield
Federico Valverde is set to be back after missing the last league game, and he will replace Brahim Diaz in the midfield three. Aurelien Tchouameni should act as an anchor, looking to control the tempo of the proceedings. His French compatriot Eduardo Camavinga should complete Real’s engine room.
This means midfield maestro Luka Modric must settle for a spot on the bench.
Attack
There is no looking past the fiery trio of Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo Goes. They are not expected to get much spaces to run behind a well-oiled Atletico defence, so these Real Madrid forwards have to conjure something special to breach the visitors.
The onus will be on the wingers Rodrygo and Vinicius for providing service for Mbappe in the box. Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz could provide the creative spark in the final third off the bench if required.
