Real Madrid turns to the Champions League to forget the derby
The champion visits affordable Lille after drawing an intense duel at the Metropolitano and with the aim of extending its unbeaten record
MADRID, 1 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid visits Lille this Wednesday on the second day of the new Champions League phase, a duel that comes only three days after the draw in the Madrid derby at the Metropolitano marred by the incidents from the stands, and that will allow the The current champion will try to maintain its unbeaten record this season and regain its smile on the European path, against a very rocky French team at home in Europe and full of confidence.
Carlo Ancelotti’s pupils, ninth in this new Champions League after beating Stuttgart (3-1), return to the Champions League in the final stretch of their marathon before the October international break, and they do so in the midst of the derby at the Metropolitano . And football was the least protagonist in a match marked by the throwing of lighters from the south end against Thibaut Courtois, which forced the referee to suspend the duel for 20 minutes, which ended in a draw (1-1).
Given this, the Champions League comes as the perfect balm to forget what happened and that small setback – they only cut one point from a Barça that has already lost three points -, with a goal from Éder Militao and penalized for a somewhat stingy final approach. The whites need to return to their desire with their fetish competition with attention and concentration against a French team that has won seven of the last eight continental matches in their stadium, although this Wednesday’s match will be an unprecedented duel.
One of the names of the match will be Kylian Mbappé, who entered the squad despite his muscle injury suffered last week. The Frenchman could have minutes, even as a starter, in Lille, where his brother plays, although now injured, a city just 200 kilometers from Bondy, the town where the French attacker grew up. From the bench, the already recovered Eduardo Camavinga awaits his turn, to give rest to Aurelién Tchouaméni or to Fede Valverde who has already accumulated almost 900 minutes in this start.
With the injuries of Brahim Díaz, Dani Cebollas and David Alaba, the options to rotate for Ancelotti decrease and wear and tear begins to take its toll, after the effort in the derby and with the important duel against Villarreal, third in LaLiga, this Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu. However, Real Madrid already offers better sensations in terms of play, much looser and with the gears greased, although it still does not reach the verticality of last year.
And aim continues to be the whites’ unfinished business, with less than two goals per game in this start (not counting penalties), while converting 16 shots per duel, more than last season. Data that shows that they are still somewhat far from last season’s performance.
Even so, the Rüdiger-Militao duo is already starting to come together and the entry of a fourth midfielder gave the team more balance in the derby. If Mbappé does not play, Ancelotti would not hesitate to repeat, although Luka Modric, who played more than 80 minutes, does not seem to have many options, while the figure of Arda Güler grows, without playing in the Metropolitano.
Opposite will be a Lille without Ethan Mbappé who arrives boosted by the victory (0-3) in Ligue 1 against Le Havre, their first victory in more than a month that ended a streak of five games without winning. Among them, the 2-0 debut in this Champions League against Sporting CP, a bad start that now forces them to straighten their European course in the worst possible scenario, against the current champion, who has not lost since the semifinals in May 2023.
Bruno Génésio’s men cling to a Stade Pierre-Mauroy that will once again enjoy the Champions League three years later, when they reached the round of 16, their best result in the competition. After that crisis in September, the ‘Dogues’ are now rearing their head in France, thanks in part to the great form of Jonathan David, author of a hat trick against Le Havre.
The first defeat against the Portuguese Sporting represents the first major setback in their goal of being among the 24 best teams, with a squad that eliminated Fenerbahce and Slavia Prague in the previous round and has names like Aissa Mandi, André Gomes or Thomas Meunier, and who tries to mix the rebellion of young people like Bouaddi, 16, with the experience of footballers who have already played in this competition.
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–POSIBLE ALIGNMENTS:
LOSC LILLE: Knight; Santos, Meunier, Diakité, Alexsandro, Bakker; Zhegrova, André Gomes, Bouaddi, Cabella; David.
REAL MADRID: Lunin; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Militao, Mendy; Tchouameni, Valverde, Bellingham, Arda Güler; Rodrygo and Vinícius.
–REFEREE: Maurizio Mariani (ITA).
–ESTADIO: Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
–TIME: 21.00/M+ Champions League.