Real Madrid Expected Lineup & Team News Vs Borussia Dortmund

In a re-run of June’s UEFA Champions League final, Real Madrid will once again come face to face with German side Borussia Dortmund in Europe’s elite soccer competition, this time in the league stage.

After the 2-0 win at Wembley Stadium in the summer, the two sides will meet at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday, October 22nd, with kick-off at 9pm local time (3pm ET).

Following a shock 1-0 defeat to Lille in their last Champions League outing, Real Madrid will be out to bounce back and climb back up the league table. Los Blancos have reacted well domestically, winning 2-0 against Villarreal and securing a 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo at the weekend, but must now avoid what would be a first home Champions League defeat in 90 minutes since September 2021.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti has no fresh injury concerns to contend with, but will have a decision to make regarding the system he uses after experimenting with a back three in defence on Saturday. The shape raised more questions that it answered, with Celta Vigo exploiting gaps in between the back three and the two wing-backs, and the experienced coach may revert to his tried and trusted 4-3-3 shape against Nuri Şahin's Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund currently sits top of the Champions League standings, thanks in part to their 7-1 thrashing of Scottish side Celtic in their last European outing, but has struggled more domestically, with two defeats in their opening seven games leaving them in seventh place in the Bundesliga.

Real Madrid team news vs. Borussia Dortmund

Ancelotti will have no changes to the squad which was available to him for Saturday night's win over Celta Vigo. The good news for the Italian is that several players who had suffered knocks before the international break, including Éder Militão, Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé and Thibaut Courtois, were all fit and played either the full 90 minutes or close to it.

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That means that the only players unavailable for this game will be those who have already spent some time on the sidelines, such as David Alaba, who is out long-term, and Brahim Díaz, who could return in the next few weeks.

Saturday's win in Galicia was also the first of many games without vice-captain Dani Carvajal, who has now undergone successful surgery following a serious knee injury. Lucas Vázquez took his place and is likely to continue to do so against Dortmund.

Expected Real Madrid lineup vs. Borussia Dortmund

Expected Real Madrid lineup vs. Borussia Dortmund: Thibaut Courtois; Lucas Vázquez, Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy; Aurélien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde, Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo Goes, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior.

Ancelotti is expected to return to a 4-3-3 shape, meaning that Rodrygo Goes returns in attack alongside Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, both of whom scored against Celta Vigo on Saturday.

The toughest decision is likely to come in who drops from midfield, and that man could be Eduardo Camavinga with Aurélien Tchouameni set to be preferred in the holding role. The other change to the side could see Ferland Mendy return to the left-back position which he has made his own ahead of Fran García.