Carlo Ancelotti’s team take on the fifth-placed team in the French league this evening, who lost 2-0 to Sporting in their 2024/25 Champions League opener. After a tense derby in which they dropped points thanks to Ángel Correa’s last-minute equaliser (1-1), Real Madrid return to their favourite stage: the Champions League. This time, they take on Lille, a club they have never faced in an official match.
To everyone’s surprise, Kylian Mbappé, who was due to be absent for three weeks, has been included in the squad. This will be the first time the French star has played for Real Madrid in his homeland. Mbappé completed the training session at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, and coach Ancelotti hinted that if there were no risks, he could start the match.
The possibility of a sibling duel with his brother Ethan was ruled out when it was announced that Ethan would miss the match due to a quadriceps injury that will sideline him for three months.
On the Madrid side, key player Thibaut Courtois, injured in the derby, is still out, but is expected to return after the international break in November. Former Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti will also miss the match.
Without Mbappé and Courtois, Ancelotti is undecided between a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 formation, but his team’s upward trend will be at the forefront of his mind.
Lille, known for their pragmatic approach this season, are fifth in Ligue 1, six points behind PSG and Monaco. Kosovar striker Edon Zhegrova is the most prominent player in the squad, which also features Jonathan David, Aissa Mandi, Ayyoub Bouadi and Belgian defender Thomas Meunier.