PREVIEW: Real Madrid look to maintain perfect start against old rivals Juventus | OneFootball

Real Madrid aim for their third Champions League win of the season ahead of Sunday’s El Clásico.

It has been over seven years since the sides last met in the UCL quarterfinals, when a controversial stoppage-time penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo decided the tie.

Since then, Real Madrid have lifted Europe’s top club trophy three times, while Juventus have not advanced past the quarterfinal stage.

This season, the 15-time Champions League winners started with a 2-1 home victory over Marseille, followed by a 5-0 demolition of Kairat.

Xabi Alonso’s side have won 10 of their last 11 matches in all competitions and head into Wednesday’s clash on the back of a 1-0 league win over Getafe, with Mbappé scoring once again.

The Frenchman has already netted five Champions League goals this season and will look to add to his tally against the Old Lady, a side he has troubled in previous campaigns.

In midfield, the recent returns of Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham, alongside Arda Güler’s fine form, give Alonso a wealth of options.

However, the manager faces a defensive crisis with David Alaba injured, adding to absences including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen, Antonio Rüdiger, and Ferland Mendy.

Real Madrid will also have Sunday’s El Clásico against Barcelona in mind, aiming to go five points clear at the top of La Liga while securing a perfect start to the Champions League.

Juventus are yet to win in this season’s UCL after high-scoring draws with Dortmund (4-4) and Villarreal (2-2).

Their league form has also dipped, losing 2-0 to Como over the weekend, with former Real Madrid player Nico Paz scoring the decisive goal. The Bianconeri currently sit seventh in Serie A and are hanging on to playoff positions in the UCL.

Juventus will be without Bremer, Juan Cabal, Fabio Miretti, Arkadiusz Milik, and Carlo Pinsoglio. Manager Igor Tudor will rely on Dušan Vlahović to lead the line, supported by Francisco Conceição and Kenan Yıldız.

This will be the 22nd UCL meeting between the clubs, with Real Madrid leading 10-9 in head-to-heads, including Champions League final wins in 1998 and 2017.

The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports in the UK, with a kick-off time of 20:00 [BST].