On Tuesday, Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of last year’s UEFA Champions League final.
Dortmund has started strong in the league, winning both of their matches, including a resounding 7-1 victory against Celtic.
In contrast, Real Madrid, who defeated Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley last season, recently fell 1-0 to Lille and are eager to bounce back at home.
This defeat ended their impressive streak of 53 games without a loss across La Liga and the Champions League, but they have since won their last two matches. Under new manager Nuri Sahin, Dortmund faces a challenging task ahead.
The Sporting News provides updates on team news and projected lineups for this encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Predicted Lineups and Team News: Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid is mostly injury-free except for long-term knee injuries to Dani Carvajal and David Alaba.
This leaves manager Carlo Ancelotti with strong attacking choices, especially with Kylian Mbappe appearing fully fit after some muscle issues. Additionally, Brahim Diaz has resumed training following an abductor injury.
Lucas Vazquez is expected to retain his place at right-back, while Ferland Mendy is likely favored over Fran Garcia on the opposite flank.
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Lunin (GK) — Vazquez, Rudiger, Militao, Mendy — Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham — Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Injuries: Alaba, Carvajal
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Karim Adeyemi scored a hat-trick against Celtic but sustained a hamstring injury that will keep him out until November. In his absence, Serhou Guirassy has stepped up as the center-forward and scored the winner against St Pauli.
However, that victory was bittersweet as Pascal Gross was substituted at halftime. Should he be unavailable, either Lukas Nmecha or Jamie Gittens could fill in.
Niklas Sule has been ill this week, and coach Sahin hopes to have him fit for the match. Meanwhile, Julian Duranville (thigh), Giovanni Reyna (groin), and Yan Couto (muscle injury) are set to miss out.
Borussia Dortmund (4-1-4-1): Kobel (GK) — Ryerson, Sule, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini — Can — Malen, Brandt, Sabitzer, Gittens — Guirassy
Injuries: Gross (doubt), Sule (doubt), Duranville, Reyna, Couto
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How to Watch Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund
Find below how to stream this Champions League match in different regions:
Region | TV | Streaming |
USA | — | Paramount+, Fubo, ViX, TUDN.com, TUDN App |
Canada | — | DAZN |
UK | TNT Sports 2 | discovery+ |
Australia | — | Stan Sport |
India | — | Sony LIV, JioTV |