Real Madrid will take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, hoping to continue their impressive start to the campaign.
Real Madrid come into the game against Shakhtar Donetsk on the back of a narrow win over Getafe in La Liga. And they will be full of confidence and momentum right now.
On the other hand, the home side had the weekend game postponed and the players will be rested and ready to go.
Their last appearance was against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Spanish giants won 2-1. The Ukrainian team will fancy their chances of getting something out of Tuesday’s game, especially in front of their own fans.
Real Madrid currently top Group F with nine points from three matches. And a win here would confirm their place in the knockout rounds of the competition. Shakhtar are second in their group with four points from three outings. RB Leipzig is breathing down their backs from third place and the home team cannot afford to slip up.
Carlo Ancelotti was without Thibaut Courtois and Dani Ceballos against Getafe, and both players miss out here as well. Ancelotti confirmed earlier this week that Ceballos will be out for two to three weeks, and Courtois will likely return for El Clasico.
Real Madrid should continue with their usual 4-3-3 formation here. Andriy Lunin was deployed as the goalkeeper in the absence of Courtois against Getafe, and he will continue between the sticks here.
Dani Carvajal will retain his place as the right-back and Ferland Mendy is expected to come in as the left-back after earning some rest in the previous game. Eder Militao produced an exceptional display against Getafe and will likely start here alongside Antonio Rudiger.
In the central midfield, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos should start alongside Aurelien Tchouameni. The Frenchman will look to break up play and win the ball back, while Modric and Kroos will dictate the tempo of the game and create chances for their teammates.
Rodrygo had an underwhelming outing against Getafe, and Karim Benzema is expected to return for this one. The French striker earned some rest at the weekend. Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde should feature as the wide forwards.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3):
Lunin; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Modric, Tchouameni, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1):
Trubin; Taylor, Bondar, Matviyenko, Konoplya; Stepanenko; Shved, Bondarenko, Sudakov; Mudryk; Zubkov
