Following the 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid at the weekend, Real Madrid will be aiming to return to winning ways when they face LOSC Lille on Matchday 2 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid began the league phase of the European competition with a hard-fought win over VfB Stuttgart last month at home and will be in action today in France, hoping to collect three points at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
The current Champions League holders will have their task cut out against Bruno Genesio’s side, but have been handed a major boost thanks to Kylian Mbappe returning from injury earlier than anticipated.
However, Real Madrid did lose first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to an injury while David Alaba, Dani Ceballos, and Brahim Diaz continue to remain unavailable.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti could make one or two alterations to the starting XI tonight, especially with a tricky La Liga fixture against Villarreal coming up at the weekend. With that in mind, here’s how Real Madrid could line up to face Lille.
Defence
With Thibaut Courtois ruled out with an abductor injury, Andriy Lunin is all set to start in goal. It will be the Ukrainian international’s first appearance of the new season and he will be aiming to make an impression similar to what he did in the previous campaign.
No alterations are expected in the full-back positions with veteran star Dani Carvajal and the reliable Ferland Mendy set to start on the right and left sides, respectively.
However, the manager could opt to give Eder Militao a breather and instead put Aurelien Tchouameni back in the defensive line to partner Antonio Rudiger.
Midfield
Ancelotti went for a four-man diamond midfield during the weekend clash against Atletico Madrid, and is expected to continue with the same setup tonight.
Eduardo Camavinga, who is back from injury but did not get minutes against Atleti, appears all set to make his first appearance of the season as the deepest of the three central midfielders.
When it comes to Federico Valverde, Ancelotti has shown no signs of rotation, with the Uruguayan being a permanent fixture in the side. And, that is unlikely to change tonight in France.
Jude Bellingham will be the third central midfielder on the pitch for Real Madrid and hope to score his first goal of the season. However, he will likely occupy a slightly deeper position tonight than he did in the derby.
Instead, it will be Arda Guler, who has been starved of opportunities, that will likely get the nod as the No. 10 in the diamond midfield formation.
Attack
Even though Kylian Mbappe is fit and available, Real Madrid are unlikely to take any risks with him by handing him a starting role tonight.
Instead, it will be the Brazilian duo of Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Jr., who will be leading the charge for the Merengues in attack.
Mbappe and Endrick will very likely get some minutes off the bench, especially if things are not going Real Madrid’s way.