Ancelotti has already prepared his lineup to face Barca.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti made a few adjustments to the starting lineup after beating Braga 2-1 in the third matchday of Group C of the Champions League, in preparation for the El Clasico match in round 11 of La Liga this weekend.

Compared to the 1-1 draw against Sevilla in La Liga's 10th round last weekend, Ancelotti made four changes to the starting lineup. Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Francisco Garcia, and Nacho replaced Aurelien Tchouameni, Toni Kroos, Ferland Mendy, and David Alaba. Mendy and Tchouameni came on in the second half, while Kroos and Alaba rested for the entire match.

When asked if this was his preparation for the El Clasico match against Barca in La Liga on October 28th, Ancelotti replied: "Yes, and I already have the starting lineup for the match against Barca in my head."

Coach Ancelotti directs the team during Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over Braga at the Braga Municipal Stadium in the third matchday of Group C of the Champions League on October 24th. Photo: realmadrid.com

According to the Italian coach, he only made personnel changes before the Braga match to allow players with minor issues to rest, preparing them for the upcoming El Clasico. "It's great that the players who replaced them today all played well, like Eduardo Camavinga. Now we have plenty of time to prepare and we're really looking forward to El Clasico," Ancelotti added.

On October 24th at the Braga Municipal Stadium, Vinicius shone with two assists, helping Real Madrid maintain their perfect winning streak in the Champions League. In the 16th minute, the Brazilian forward sprinted down the left wing and crossed the ball to his compatriot Rodrygo, who cut in and scored the opening goal. In the second half, Vinicius passed the ball back to Jude Bellingham, who curled a shot into the far corner from an unmarked position to double the lead. Vinicius also provided a cross for Rodrygo to shoot into an empty net in the 34th minute and then took a shot himself in the near corner in the 82nd minute, both goals disallowed for offside.

Ancelotti believes Vinicius has rediscovered his best form after a hamstring injury earlier in the season and made the difference in helping Real secure three crucial points away from home. The Italian coach revealed that Real made many long passes to take advantage of Vinicius's speed when they noticed Braga's defense pushing high and leaving many gaps.

Rodrygo's opening goal against Braga relieved the pressure, as it was his second goal of the season since the 2-0 La Liga opening win against Bilbao, ending a nearly 900-minute goalless streak. Ancelotti considered this goal very important and said it would give Rodrygo added motivation and confidence in the future.

Rodrygo (left) and Bellingham celebrate after the Brazilian striker scored the opening goal in Real Madrid's victory over Braga at the Braga Municipal Stadium in the third matchday of Group C of the Champions League on October 24. Photo: AS

Meanwhile, Bellingham scored his 11th goal in 12 appearances for Real Madrid, achieving a goal-per-game ratio of 0.91. In his last 33 games at Dortmund, the English midfielder also scored 11 goals, but only achieved a ratio of 0.33. He is the first player to score in his first three Champions League matches for Real Madrid since Christian Karembeu in 1998. However, Bellingham limped off the pitch when he was replaced by Lucas Vazquez in the 89th minute, raising concerns about injury. Ancelotti reassured fans that his player was fine, just overworked, and would recover in time for the El Clasico on October 28th.

For the ninth time in history, Real Madrid have won all three of their opening group stage matches in the Champions League. During this period, the royal club reached the semi-finals five times: in the 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, and 2022-2023 seasons. They triumphed in 2014, defeating Atletico 4-1 in the final, also under Ancelotti's management.

Vinicius – voted Man of the Match in the Braga game – believes Real created many chances and could have won by a larger margin if they had been more clinical. The Brazilian striker was pleased that Real won all three of their opening Champions League matches and sees the victory against Braga as a boost to the team's confidence ahead of their away game against Barcelona this weekend.

Hong Duy

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