A crushing defeat at Anfield leaves Real Madrid in a precarious position in the Champions League table ahead of another tough European away day.
Atalanta have enjoyed a supreme start to the 2024/25 campaign. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are unbeaten in five continental matches and sit top of the Serie A table after defeating Milan on Friday night.
Madrid beat La Dea in the UEFA Super Cup in August, but Atalanta have moved on since then and are aiming for another declared victory in midweek.
Carlo Ancelotti has been boosted by the return of several big names in time for Tuesday’s clash and here is the starting eleven he could pick in Bergamo.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – After grabbing a rare goal in Girona on Saturday, Courtois aims to shut down one of Europe’s most potent attacking trios on Tuesday night.
RB: Lucas Vázquez – With Dani Carvajal out long-term, Ancelotti needs the veteran Vázquez to step up on such occasions. The converted winger will see plenty of Ademola Lookman in Bergamo.
CB: Aurelien Tchouameni – The France international returned from injury last week and started at center back on Saturday. Ancelotti likes it there and could keep his place in the back line on Tuesday.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – Rudiger’s positioning was one of the interesting subplots the August Super Cupalthough his teammate will likely be tasked with attacking forwards to try and disrupt the Atalanta man’s orientation without the ball given his comfort in more advanced areas.
LB: Fran Garcia – Ferland Mendy’s muscle injury will sideline him for a while and give Garcia another run in the team.
CM: Luka Modric – The Croatian superstar went over 90 minutes on Saturday and is unlikely to do the same here, but his ability to get his foot on the ball and slow things down will be crucial against an intense Atalanta side.
CM: Federico Valverde – The Uruguayan has endured an up-and-down campaign so far, but Ancelotti is unlikely to lose faith in Valverde anytime soon. The midfielder’s tenacity will be needed at Gewiss.
CM: Jude Bellingham – Bellingham come into this competition in red-hot scoring form after a slow start to the season and the pivot behind them should provide the England international with plenty of opportunities to get in behind.
RW: Rodrygo – Rodrygo has endured an injury-plagued campaign so far and missed Saturday’s win over Girona with a muscle problem. However, he has been included in the traveling squad for Tuesday’s game Champions League combat and could be named in Ancelotti’s XI.
ST: Kylian Mbappe – It hasn’t been the blistering start most expected, but Mbappé has nonetheless been productive and could enjoy a big night if Madrid are able to manipulate Atalanta’s work out of possession.
LW: Vinicius Junior – He’s back! Vinicius is sure to come straight back into the squad for this important clash after missing Madrid’s previous four games, including the matchday 5 defeat at Anfield.
