Duel between the premier class giants: record winner Real Madrid calls for runner-up Milan

For the first time in 14 years

On Tuesday evening, Real Madrid and AC Milan, the two most successful teams in the history of the premier class, will meet for the first time in 14 years. But since the last duel in November 2010, which ended 2-2, the Whites have gotten away from the Rossoneri. Real coach Carlo Ancelotti in particular has close ties to both clubs.

Real Madrid have won the Champions League six times in the last eleven seasons. In total, the Royals have 15 titles, making them the record winners in the premier class (including the European Cup). Milan follow in second place with seven titles, the last of which was 17 years ago. Together with FC Bayern, the Italian top club has the second most appearances in the finals with eleven – Real is in first place with 18.

The two heavyweights met once in the final: in the 1957/58 season, at that time still in the European Cup, Real beat the Italians 3-2 after extra time. The statistics of the direct duels are balanced, both of them won six of the 15 games. However, the two clubs are not on equal terms before the current duel.

Real escapes Milan – Ancelotti with a shared past

Between the 2013/14 and 2021/22 seasons, Milan missed the premier class seven times in a row, while Real Madrid has won the title six times since 2013/14. The Spanish champions are also clearly ahead in terms of squad values. The team around superstar Kylian Mbappé is worth 1.36 billion euros, making it the most valuable in the Champions League. Milan is in twelfth place with 562 million euros. The Madrilenians’ most valuable player is Vinicius Junior with a market value of 200 million euros, while at Milan it is Rafael Leão with 75 million euros.

With six points from three games, Real are in twelfth place before the duel with Milan. The games against VfB Stuttgart (3:0) and Borussia Dortmund (5:2) were victorious, and there was a 0-1 defeat against LOSC Lille. Milan lost the first two games against FC Liverpool (1:3) and Bayer Leverkusen (0:1), before the first three-pointer against FC Brugge (3:1) followed on the last matchday. The Rossoneri are in 25th place with three points.

Real coach Ancelotti has a history with both clubs. As an active footballer, he played 160 games for Milan and won the premier class twice. He coached the club between 2001 and 2009 and also led them to Champions League triumphs from the sidelines in 2003 and 2007. He sat on the bench for a total of 420 games at the top Italian club. With Real Madrid he won Europe’s most prominent club competition three times: in 2014 in his first term in office and in 2022 and 2024. With five titles as a coach, Ancelotti is the most successful coach in the Champions League.