Following a disheartening draw in the Madrid derby over the weekend, Real Madrid travel to France to take on Lille in their second match of the UEFA Champions League.
The defending champions received surprising news on Monday, when Kylian Mbappe was named in the squad for this fixture as he recovered earlier than expected.
However, Carlo Ancelotti made it blatantly clear that he will not be taking any risks with the Frenchman at all – hence it will be interesting to see if Mbappe starts or not.
On the other hand, Thibaut Courtois is ruled out for this match as he picked up a muscular problem after the Madrid derby – as confirmed by Ancelotti. This means that Andriy Lunin, who enjoyed a wonderful run last season in the Belgian’s absence, will make his first start of the season against Lille.
Eduardo Camavinga is set to play his first minutes this season as the Frenchman will replace Luka Modric in the lineup. Another midfielder, Fede Valverde, who has started every match this season, may start the game from the bench and only appear if needed in the latter half.
With the exceptions of Brahim Díaz, David Alaba, Dani Ceballos and Courtois, Carlo Ancelotti will have a full squad at his disposal.
What the Italian may want to change though, would be not to restrict his players to be so conservative, like seen in the match against Atletico. In that game, he packed his side with defenders despite leading by only a goal and decided to sit back – which eventually backfired.
On the other hand, Lille are heading into this match with a string of poor performances. To put it into perspective, the home side have lost 4 out of their last 6 fixtures – including a loss on matchday 1 against Sporting CP in the Champions League.
Lille do not boast a start-studded squad but they have the ability to surprise any team on their day and with the match being played at home, Real Madrid would be aware of the threat.
Jonathan David is a player to watch out for. The striker has scored 5 goals in 6 league games this season with an overall record of 91 goals and 20 assists in 194 appearances for the club – also being their 4th highest goal scorer in history.
Another player to watch out for is the right winger, Edon Zhegrova. The right winger bursted on to the scene last season and since has just grown to be better. He already has 6 goals in 9 games this season.
The Kosovo national’s ability to beat defenders with ease will make for an impressive battle between him and Ferland Mendy.
Former Real Betis defender Aissa Mandi has solidified his place in defence along right-back Thomas Meunier, who has enjoyed stints at PSG and Borussia Dortmund.
Everything boils down to who is the better team on the day. Real Madrid would look to extend their unbeaten record in the Champions League to 15, while Lille will be eager to play spoilsport and put on an entertaining show for their fans.
