Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will make a grand entrance when he names his starting XI for the Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.

The Germans were, of course, the Whites' opponents in the Wembley final, which Los Blancos won in June to secure their unprecedented 15th title in Europe's premier club competition, and Ancelotti expects the visitors to stick to their guns despite some personnel changes in the summer Hold on to principles.

At his pre-match press conference, the Italian said that Dortmund retained “the idea of ​​intense football, playing well and with good individuals.”

“They are a demanding opponent, they recently played the Champions League final against us,” he added.

Above all, Ancelotti wants a “back and forth game” that is “good for us” because he has “players with these qualities”.

“We have more difficulty in a possession game because we don't have players who have the ability to play in tight spaces. You can take advantage of the open field. We're focusing on defending better, that's the key to this season.” “The team is less solid in that regard and we're working on it,” explained the manager.

Madrid may be lucky to beat Celta Vigo 2-1 in La Liga on Saturday and will field a team with some notable changes from that game as they exit on the continent around four days before El Clasico.

While Thibaut Courtois is once again the goalkeeper, left-back Ferland Mendy takes his place from Fran Garcia.

Central defenders Eder Militao and Antonio Rüdiger remain in their positions, as does Lucas Vazquez at right-back, but Aurelien Tchouameni is on the bench.

This is partly because Ancelotti switched from a 3-4-2-1 to a 4-3-3 last time out.

There is only room for one pivot, Eduardo Camavinga, and the young Frenchman supports the more advanced Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde.

At the top, Ancelotti makes his biggest decision at the expense of captain Luka Modric.

Rodrygo returns to the starting XI on the right wing as Kylian Mbappe is the central number 9 in the middle for the Brazilian and compatriot Vincius Jr.

First eleven from Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund: Courtois; Mendy, Rüdiger, Militao, Vazquez; Tchouameni, Bellingham, Valverde; Vinicius, Mbappe, Rodrygo