The busy schedule of the European football had Champions League and other continental competitions finally leave the European clubs to rest as the previews week did not have any European Cup but on Tuesday the Champions returns. The fans that were happily being used to this busy schedule, will see football games every week for the rest of the remaining weeks until the start of the World Cup.
Real Madrid will head to RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday night knowing that they would be confirmed as Group F winners with a draw. Los Blancos, who are already through to the round of 16, sit top of the section on 10 points, four points ahead of second-placed Leipzig, who are bidding to join the reigning champions in the next round.
Champions League run and current form
Leipzig have won two and lost two of their four matches in the section to collect six points, which has left them second in the table, one point ahead of third-placed Shakhtar Donetsk ahead of the next set of games. Shakhtar will go to Celtic on Tuesday, with the Ukrainian outfit looking for their second victory in the section, but Leipzig would secure their spot in the next round of the competition if they manage to beat Real Madrid and Shakhtar lose in Scotland.
Marco Rose's side opened their Group F campaign with back-to-back defeats to Shakhtar and Real Madrid, which placed them in a very difficult position in terms of reaching the next round, but they have responded with back-to-back wins over Celtic to move onto six points. Leipzig will welcome Real Madrid and then head to Shakhtar in their final two group games, and they will be determined to navigate their way into the next round of the competition. The German outfit are actually unbeaten in their last seven matches in all competitions, which includes a 3-3 draw with Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday, which has left them down in eighth position in the table.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are already through to the next round of the competition, picking up 10 points from their opening four matches courtesy of a record of three wins and one defeat. Carlo Ancelotti's side beat Celtic, Leipzig and Shakhtar in their opening three games in the section but needed a last-gasp equaliser from Antonio Rudiger to claim a point against Shakhtar in the away match last time out, with the 1-1 draw enough to take them into the round of 16 once again.
The holders, as mentioned, would be confirmed as group winners if they avoid defeat in this game, but they would have another chance to secure top spot against Celtic at Bernabeu on November 2 even if Leipzig manage to pull off a famous victory in front of their own supporters. Real Madrid are still unbeaten in all competitions this season, and Saturday's 3-1 win over Sevilla in La Liga saw them once again open up a six-point advantage over second-placed Barcelona in the table. Ancelotti's team have another five games before the campaign breaks for the 2022 World Cup, taking on Leipzig and Celtic in the Champions League, in addition to Girona, Rayo Vallecano and Cadiz in the league.
Squads
Leipzig will again be missing Lukas Klostermann, Marcel Halstenberg, Konrad Laimer and Peter Gulacsi on Tuesday evening through injury, while Timo Werner will need a late fitness test. Rose's side were actually 3-0 down against Augsburg on Saturday before scoring three times in the final 20 minutes, and two of the goalscorers, Andre Silva and Christopher Nkunku, are certain starters here. Amadou Haidara will also come back into the midfield on Tuesday night, but Yussuf Poulsen, Dani Olmo and Emil Forsberg could all miss out on starts in the final third of the field.
As for Real Madrid, Ancelotti has confirmed that Karim Benzema will not be available for this match, with the Frenchman absent against Sevilla due to muscular fatigue. Dani Ceballos and Mariano Diaz are also set to miss out once again, but Thibaut Courtois made his return from injury against Sevilla and will again start between the sticks. Ancelotti's desire to secure first spot in the section should mean a strong XI is named for the game, although there could be a change from Saturday's side, with Rudiger potentially replacing Ferland Mendy.
Eden Hazard is an option through the middle in Benzema's absence, but it seems more likely that Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior will continue as the starting front three. Valverde, though, will need to pass a late fitness test after picking up an issue against Sevilla. Carlo Ancelotti has already named his squad for the matchday five encounter with Leipzig which will be played at the RB Arena (Tuesday, 9:00pm CEST).
REAL MADRID SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin and Luis López.
Defenders: Carvajal, E. Militão, Alaba, Vallejo, Nacho, Odriozola, Lucas V., Rüdiger and F. Mendy.
Midfielders: Kroos, Modrić, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Dotor and Arribas.
Forwards: Hazard, Asensio, Vini Jr., Rodrygo and Álvaro.
The referee
Daniele Orsato will take charge of the clash between Real Madrid and Leipzig. The 46-year-old Italian, who became a FIFA referee in 2010, takes charge of a game involving our team in the competition for the seventh time. The previous one came last season, a 3-1 win over Manchester City in the semi-finals at the Santiago Bernabéu.
His first game refereeing the madridistas was Malmö's visit to the Bernabéu (8-0) in the 2015/16 Group Stage. The second was a 0-1 win over Galatasaray in the Groups in 2019/20. That season also saw him take charge of the Round of 16 first leg against Manchester City, which ended in a 1-2 defeat. In 2020/21, the official oversaw Chelsea-Real Madrid (2-0), in the return leg of the semi-finals, and finally, he was also in the middle for Round of 16 clash with PSG at the Parc des Princes last season (1-0)
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