Carlo Ancelotti faces his former club on Tuesday night when Real Madrid take on Milan.
Ancelotti lifted the trophy as a player and manager for the Rossoneri and remains venerated in Italy’s fashion capital. The all-time great coach has blossomed into a perennial victor of the competition at Madrid, but not much has gone his way at the start of the 2024/25 season.
The tragic events which continue to unfold in the south of Spain means Madrid’s La Liga clash with Valencia was postponed at the weekend, meaning their last outing before Tuesday’s game was their 4-0 defeat to a rampant Barcelona in El Clasico on 26 October.
Ancelotti’s side enter this contest having won two of their opening three league phase games, with Vinicius Junior inspiring Madrid to a come-from-behind 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund last time out.
Paulo Fonseca has endured an up-and-down start to life as Milan manager, with their domestic inconsistency leaving them seventh in Serie A. They did, however, secure their first league phase win on Matchday 3, beating Club Brugge 3-1 having previously lost to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen.
Milan have been so up and down at the start of Fonseca’s reign, but every opponent has a chance against Madrid at the moment.
Vini Jr spared their blushes on Matchday 3 with an outstanding hat-trick before Ancelotti’s side were blown out of the water by Barca on their previous outing. The mini-break they’ve enjoyed as a result of their postponed fixture at the weekend will do Madrid some good and they should appear rejuvenated on Tuesday night.
Outside of their surprise Derby della Madonnina triumph, the Rossoneri have fallen short against superior opposition this season and, while Madrid will hand them periods of control in Tuesday’s game, their proficiency up top will prove far too much for the visitors to handle.
Real Madrid lineup: (4-3-3): Lunin; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Modric, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius, Mbappe.
Milan lineup: (4-3-3): Maignan; Royal, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Morata, Leao.
