Real Madrid will play their first match as current Champions League winners against Stuttgart, having beaten another Bundesliga side, Borussia Dortmund, in the final.
Stuttgart are underdogs and will be without their talismanic striker Serhou Guelassi, who signed for Borussia Dortmund this summer, but as their 3-1 win over Gladbach showed, they still have the firepower to threaten anyone. After all, they finished better than Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga last season.
Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in La Liga, with Luka Modric producing a classic performance and Arda Guler playing a regular role in midfield, the player impressing on his debut.
According to COPE, the main question in Real Madrid’s starting XI is whether it will be Modric or Guler, with Aureliano Tchouameni moving back from midfield to central defence to replace the injured Eder Militao.
Although Guler could provide more dynamism with his superb movement and athleticism, Modric remains one of the Champions League kings and an undeniable presence in the big games.
Carlo Ancelotti has given Guler more credit, but he tends to respect Modric and the Champions League veterans, even if Stuttgart are not a traditional force like Liverpool or Bayern Munich.
Most fans would prefer Arda to play in the Champions League, but the young Turkish international should get some playing time – hopefully 30 minutes – even if Modric becomes Carletto’s favourite.
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