Injuries continued to plague Real Madrid ahead of its second Champions League fixture. Just when Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga returned from the sidelines, Kylian Mbappé and Thibaut Courtois picked up injuries. The Frenchman looks to have recovered from a thigh injury, having returned to training. He was pictured flying to this fixture, so looks to be in contention. But Courtois is definitely out with an abductor injury in his left leg.
Now, Carlo Ancelotti must compensate for his starting keeper being out against Lille and his main striker likely only able to play a minor role. The midfield could receive a boost, though, if the manager gives Camavinga the nod. The 21-year-old was set to make his first appearance of the season in the Madrid derby, but Ancelotti opted to keep Camavinga on the bench in the contentious 1–1 draw. The manager also revealed Mbappé could feature in the match if he is fully fit come Wednesday.
Here's what Real Madrid's XI could look like against Lille on Oct. 2.
Real Madrid's Starting XI Against Lille
GK: Andriy Lunin–Lunin gets his first start of the season for Los Blancos as Courtois recovers from injury.
RB: Dani Carvajal–The right-back has gotten off to a slow start offensively this season and will look to be more involved in the attack on Wednesday.
CB: Éder Militão–The defender scored at the weekend against Atlético Madrid and will be a target on set pieces against a Lille team that conceded 11 goals in six matches.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger–The Germany international needs to be at his best to help his new keeper keep Jonathan David and Lille off the scoresheet.
LB: Ferland Mendy–Mendy will have the tough task of locking down Edon Zhegrova. The winger scored three goals in his last five matches.
RM: Federico Valverde–The unsung hero of Real Madrid, Valverde is Ancelotti's most well-rounded midfielder. His precise passing and defensive work-rate are two of the many reasons why the Uruguayan has started every match this season. If the manager wants to give someone a rest, though, it would be Valverde.
CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni–Tchouaméni is the last line of defense in front of Los Blancos' backline. His tackling and interceptions are crucial at stifling teams in transition.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga–The Frenchman could make his first appearance of the 2024–25 season. Camavinga was an unused substitute against Atlético Madrid after recovering from a knee injury.
LM: Jude Bellingham– The midfielder needs to do a better job at linking up with Vinícius Jr. and Rodrygo if Mbappé fails to start.
ST: Vinícius Júnior– The Brazilian can take advantage of Lille's weak backline to get himself going in the Champions League. Across all competitions, Vinícius Jr. has only scored three goals in ten matches.
ST: Rodrygo–The 23-year-old will look to bounce back after a quiet, unimpactful game in the Madrid derby. Rodrygo, like Vinícius Jr., only has three goals on the season.
Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will make an interesting change to his line up when the defending Champions League rulers play Lille away in the tournament on Wednesday.
Asked about the importance of the tie in his prematch press conference, Ancelotti said: "We have to score points, taking into account the value of the opponent."
"They are a team that plays very well. They like to play with the ball, they have young players with quality. All matches must be fought. We are here for that.
"We're fine. We are convinced that we can improve, we're ready. There are a lot of games, but we're doing quite well," the Italian added.
Despite previously being ruled out for a number of weeks with a muscle injury, Kylian Mbappe was a surprise inclusion to the matchday squad.
"He recovered very well, very quickly. He trained yesterday and today he will do the full training with us," Ancelotti said on Tuesday.
"Then we will all make the decision together [about if he will play], because the last thing we want is to take risks."
Ancelotti was also asked about Arda Guler, and remarked that "in this stretch he has played more than last year".
"He has done well. He's making progress. I don't have to tell you anything. He knows his role here: he has a future and he is in the team. He works like everyone else. Sometimes he plays and sometimes he doesn't."
AS expected Arda to start at the Stade Pierre this evening as a central attacking midfielder with Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde, plus pivot Eduardo Camavinga, behind him.
That won't happen, however, as Fede Valverde and Jude Bellingham are the midfielders while Aurelien Tchoumanei and Eduardo Camavinga form a double pivot.
Mbappe won't be fit enough to feature from the get go, so Ancelotti fields Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo and Endrick up front as an attacking trident.
On the backline, protecting Andriy Lunin's goal considering Thibaut Courtios' knocked picked up in the Madrid derby, we'll see Ferland Mendy, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal unitedly trying to keep a clean sheet.
Real Madrid vs. Lille Starting Lineup
Real Madrid Vs. Lille Staring Line Up: Lunin; Mendy, Rudiger, Militao, Carvajal; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Valverde; Vinicius, Endrick, Rodrygo
Ancelotti's Key Changes to Real Madrid Lineup
One of the biggest surprises was seeing Endrick Felipe make his first start for Real Madrid, coming into the team in place of compatriot Rodrygo Goes in attack. He pairs up alongside Vinicius Jr. up top.
Also, Eduardo Camavinga makes his first appearance of the season, having returned from injury this past weekend. He replaces Luka Modric in midfield, with Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni retaining their places. Jude Bellingham continues to operate in the No. 10 role.
At the back, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Ferland Mendy form the Real Madrid defensive unit.
There is a change in goal as Andriy Lunin also makes his first appearance of the season, coming into the side in place of the injured Thibaut Courtois.
Kylian Mbappe is on the bench.
Important Note: This article is based on the information available at the time of writing. It is possible that there may be further changes to the Real Madrid starting lineup before the match begins.
How to Watch the Match
Lille take on Real Madrid on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with kickoff set for 9 p.m. CEST local time in France, making it an 8 p.m. BST start in the UK, a 3 p.m. ET or 12 p.m. PT kick-off in the US and Canada, and a 5 a.m. AEST start in Australia on Thursday morning.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the match as it happens, wherever you are in the world.
Best Live TV Streaming Services to Watch Real Madrid vs Lille
- Paramount Plus: American soccer fans can stream every fixture of this season's tournament via Paramount Plus, which has exclusive live English-language broadcast rights in the US for the UEFA Champions League.
Paramount Plus has two main subscription plans in the US: Essential for $8 per month and Premium for $13 per month. Both offer coverage of the Champions League.
The cheaper Essential option has ads for on-demand streaming and lacks live CBS feeds as well as the ability to download shows to watch offline later. Newcomers to the service can take advantage of a 30-day free trial, while students may qualify for a 25% discount.
Using a VPN to Access Champions League Streams
If you find yourself unable to view UCL matches locally, you may need a different way to watch the games -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month with code SPECIALDEAL, which should be automatically applied.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Champions League Viewing in the UK
Along with the shake-up of the Champions League format, the new season brings with it some changes to how to watch UCL games in the UK.
TNT Sports will continue to broadcast the majority of Champions League games, but Amazon Prime Video now has first pick for games on a Tuesday, with one per match week being shown exclusively live on the platform.
This match is set to be shown live on TNT Sports 5.
TNT Sports is offering the lions' share of Champions League matches exclusively live this season to viewers in the UK. You can access TNT Sports in a number of ways, including via Sky Q as a TV package, or direct streaming from its range of mobile and smart TV apps. It costs £31 either way and comes in a package that includes Discovery Plus' library of documentary content.
Champions League Viewing in Canada
If you want to stream UCL games live in Canada, you'll need to subscribe to DAZN Canada. The service has exclusive broadcast rights to the Champions League this season.
A DAZN subscription currently costs CA$30 a month or CA$200 a year and will also give you access to Europa League and EFL Championship soccer, Six Nations rugby and WTA tennis.
As well as dedicated apps for iOS and Android, there's a wide range of support for set-top boxes and smart TVs.
Champions League Viewing in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch UCL matches on streaming service Stan Sport, which has exclusive rights to show the Champions League live in Australia this season.
Stan Sport will set you back AU$10 per month (on top of a AU$10 Stan subscription), but the streaming service is currently offering a seven-day free trial.
A subscription will also give you access to Europa League and Europa Conference League action, as well as international rugby and Formula E.
Key Points
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Endrick starts his first match for Real Madrid. Ancelotti surprised everyone by choosing Endrick over Rodrygo. Fans will be looking to see if this will be the beginning of a breakout season for the young Brazilian striker.
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Camavinga makes his first appearance of the season.
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Mbappé is on the bench. Ancelotti is taking a cautious approach with the striker's return from injury. He will be hoping to have him available for the second half, should the game require his presence.
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Lunin starts in goal.
This match promises to be an exciting one, with both teams looking to secure a victory. Real Madrid will be looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the season, while Lille will be looking to bounce back from their opening loss to Sporting Lisbon. We can expect to see a close and competitive match at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
