Real Madrid vs AC Milan

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid and AC Milan trade tackles in a blockbuster UEFA Champions League showdown.

It’s redemption time in Madrid after Barcelona humbled Los Blancos 4-0 in El Clasico over a week ago, inflicting Real Madrid’s first La Liga defeat since October 2023. Natural disaster in Valencia postponed their league trip to Mestalla last weekend, handing them more time to prepare for this fixture as they bid to strengthen their formidable seven-game home run against Milan (W5, D1, L1). Another triumph looks like a virtual certainty, considering Carlo Ancelotti’s men have emerged victorious from 17 of their last 18 European encounters against Italian opposition (L1), including a 2-0 triumph against Atalanta in this season’s UEFA Super Cup. The Spaniards can draw further confidence from their last Champions League outing at the Bernabeu, as they overhauled a two-goal halftime deficit to beat Borussia Dortmund 5-2!

As for AC Milan, a narrow 1-0 victory at Monza last weekend eased the pressure on manager Paulo Fonseca following a disheartening 2-0 defeat to Serie A leaders Napoli, keeping them within an eight-point distance of the table’s summit with a game hand. After losses to Liverpool (1-3) and Bayer Leverkusen (0-1) to start their first Champions League campaign under Fonseca, ‘I Rossoneri’ eased past Club Brugge 3-1 in round three to reignite their hopes of securing a first knockout qualification since 2022/23. However, Milan’s struggles on Spanish soil are long-standing (W5, D7, L16, underscoring the magnitude of the task awaiting Fonseca’s charges this week. Moreover, they’ve drawn a blank in four of their last five Champions League away fixtures (W1, D1, L3).