Real Madrid will look to please the Santiago Bernabeu crowd with a convincing win over Copenhagen as they pass through the first crisis of Carlo Ancelotti’s reign. Los Blancos aim to secure a firm grasp on first spot in Champions League Group B after having defeated Galatasaray on matchday one.
This is the first time both teams meet in an official match. Their only confrontation was a friendly match at Malaga that Los Merengues won 2-0 in 1995.
The Danish team will try to get their first victory against a Spanish club in eight attempts. They certainly will be buoyed by their unexpected 1-1 draw against Juventus in the competition’s first matchday.
However, the motivation of Carlo Ancelotti’s side couldn’t be stronger, as Atletico Madrid hurt their pride at the derby with a 0-1 win. Real’s captains have called their team mates to show more spirit of sacrifice in order to get back on the right path.
The derby disaster also left Gareth Bale injured. The Welshman suffered a relapse on his muscle fatigue injury and he hasn’t made it in the squad. On the other hand Ancelotti can call upon Marcelo, and Raphael Varane could return to the starting eleven after five months out through injury. Los Blancos will miss Xabi Alonso due to injury.
Iker Casillas will surely return to the line-up after recovering from his rib injury. Meanwhile Alvaro Morata could replace Karim Benzema up front thanks to his good performance against Atletico.
Copenhagen are suffering a terrible start to their league campaign with just two victories in the first ten matches, and find themselves in the relegation zone. Taking points from the Bernabeu would certainly boost their self-confidence.
The Danish side have no relevant injury concerns and could name the same starting eleven that picked up the draw against Juventus. Ariel Jacobs main doubt is whether to include Thomas Kristensen in the line-up or not.
Possible line-ups:
Real Madrid: Casillas; Arbeloa, Varane, Ramos, Coentrao; Modric, Khedira; Di Maria, Isco, Ronaldo; Morata.
Copenhagen: Wiland; Jacobsen, Mellberg, Bengtsson, Sigurdsson; Bolanos, Claudemir, Delaney; Braaten, Adi, Jorgensen.
