AC Milan face what is on paper a very difficult test against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League, but it is a fixture steeped in history.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side won LaLiga and the Champions League last season and while they haven’t been flawless this season, they boast attacking riches that most teams could only dream of. Our pre-match preview has the latest team news and some insight on Real from an expert.
The key battles
This is Real Madrid’s first game since their 4-0 El Clasico defeat to Barcelona, and the Ballon d’Or saga. That means Vinícius Junior will be pretty fired up, and he has been directly involved in 25 goals in 25 appearances in the UEFA Champions League (16 goals, nine assists) – the most of any player in this period.
At the moment it seems as though Vinicius will play in a front two alongside Kylian Mbappe, which means that Malick Thiaw is likely to be the opponent he faces. The German will hope to stake a big claim to get a regular starting spot back, but he does have a few top level UCL performances under his belt from 2022-23.
Christian Pulisic has scored three goals in his last four games for Milan in the UEFA Champions League, as many as he netted in his previous 25 games in the competition combined (3). If he finds the net here, 2024-25 would already be his best-ever scoring return in a single UCL campaign.
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He is expected to play as an attacking midfielder, which means that Federico Valverde should be the man tasked with stopping him. The Uruguay international is one of the best in the world in his position and is important in driving play for Real, so Pulisic will have to consider both aspects of the game.
In terms of out of form players, Jude Bellingham hasn’t found the net in any of his last 10 appearances in the competition. However, Bellingham has stood out for his defensive work this term, leading all Real Madrid players in the 2024-25 edition for duels won (20), tackles (8) and high-intensity pressures (169).
The Englishman is likely to start behind Los Blancos’ front two and this is where Youssouf Fofana will be critical. Fofana should operate in a double pivot alongside Tijjani Reijnders and will be the more defensive-minded of the pair, hoping to cut out any attempts to supply Vinicius and Mbappe while watching Bellingham’s attacking runs.
Moving back to Milan’s attack, somewhere that Fonseca will hope his side can get some joy is on the counter through Rafael Leao. A lot has been written about the winger’s situation in recent days after being benched in three consecutive league games, so what better way to answer critics than with a coming-of-age performance at the Bernabeu.
In addition to that motivation, Real are expected to field Lucas Vazquez at right-back given Dani Carvajal is recovering from a serious injury. Vazquez is a very important utility player but if Leao gets in isolation against him then he could get some joy.
Finally, we come to the man at the centre of perhaps the biggest summer transfer: Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe scored against the Rossoneri in last season’s group stage for Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, making Fikayo Tomori look a little bit silly after a dart in from the left side.
This time things are different. Mbappe is with Los Merengues and plays in a forward pairing, while Tomori is tipped to start on the left side of the centre-back pairing rather than the right. The Frenchman hasn’t started life at his new club in the best way possible, though the former Chelsea man is in need of a big performance to show Fonseca he deserves to be a regular starter.
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