Real Madrid dished out a 6-1 thrashing of Real Betis in their La Liga match last weekend to enter the Champions League game against Polish side Legia Warsaw with full confidence. The two teams face off for the first time ever on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Earlier in the day, it was announced that Los Blancos star midfielder Luka Modric has penned a new extension with the club until 2020, but unfortunately, the Croatian midfielder wouldn't be able to take part in the Champions League game against Warsaw owing to injury.
Apart from Modric, Casemiro and Sergio Ramos will also miss the match due to injuries. However, James Rodriguez is fit to participate. Meanwhile, Real Madrid hotshot Cristiano Ronaldo needs two goals more to reach the 100-goal mark in UEFA competitions.
Going by their recent form and prediction on paper, Real looks the far stronger side by all means. However, coach Zinedine Zidane is not someone who takes things lightly. "It's an even game for me. We must prepare very well, focus on the job at hand and make life difficult for them [Legia Warsaw] from the first minute to the last," the France football legend said.
"Goals come from hard work from the off in a game. The important thing is to get points," he added.
Win, draw or lose, for the Polish side, the occasion is special as they get to ply their trade at the majestic Santiago Bernabeu for the first time ever. "Not a lot of players get to play in this stadium. Many dream about it but cannot do it. It's a reward for our players," said Warsaw coach Jacek Magiera.
"I'm happy we can play Real Madrid, so Polish football can be seen all over the world. We can win if we do it right. We want to do it right and try to prove a Polish team can play good football," he added.
Expected starting XI
Real Madrid: Navas; Danilo, Pepe, Varane, Nacho; Kovačić, Kroos, Rodríguez; Bale, Morata, Ronaldo.
Legia Warsaw: Malarz; Bereszyński, Czerwiński, Rzeźniczak, Hlousek; Radović, Moulin, Jodłowiec, Odjidja, Guilherme; Nikolić.
Schedule
Real Madrid vs Legia Warsaw is scheduled to kick off at 12:15 a.m. IST [Thursday] (7:45 p.m. BST, 2:45 p.m. EST) on October 18.
Where to watch live
India: TV: Ten 1 HD. Live streaming: ten sports live.
UK: TV: BT Sport. Live streaming: BT Sport live.
USA: TV: Fox Sports. Live streaming: Fox Sports Go.
Spain: TV: TV 3. Live streaming: None.
Poland: TV: TVP1, Canal+ Polska. Live streaming: None.
