Preview:Real Madrid vs Marseille - prediction, team news, lineups

Real Madrid will kick off their bid to win a 16th Champions League trophy when they welcome Marseille to the Santiago Bernabeu for Tuesday's league phase meeting.

This will be the first meeting between the two sides since Cristiano Ronaldo netted braces in home and away victories in the 2009-10 group stage.

Match preview

After falling at the semi-final stage at the Club World Cup, Real Madrid have dusted themselves off to make a perfect start to their first La Liga campaign under former Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso.

Los Blancos carried significant momentum into the international break after they recorded victories over Osasuna, Real Oviedo and Mallorca.

They quickly picked up from where they left off in Saturday’s away clash with Real Sociedad despite having to play around an hour with 10 men following Dean Huijsen’s controversial red card.

Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler found the net on either side of Huijsen’s dismissal, with the referee ruling that he made a last-man challenge on Spain teammate Mikel Oyarzabal.

The Real Sociedad forward went on to score from the penalty spot in the 56th minute, but Alonso’s charges stood strong to hold out for a fourth consecutive victory, leaving them as the only team with a 100% record in La Liga.

The league leaders will now turn their focus to their European campaign, and they will be keen to better last season's league phase campaign when they had to settle for an 11th-placed finish following five wins and three defeats in eight matches.

Real Madrid will aim to maintain their 100% record against Marseille, having won each of their previous four head-to-head encounters, scoring at least three goals in all bar one of those matches.

Marseille are competing in the Champions League main draw for the first time since 2022-23 after finishing in second place in Ligue 1 last season.

The French club will not be content with taking part in the league phase, as they look to reach the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time since reaching the quarter-final stage in 2011-12.

Roberto De Zerbi's side will travel to the Spanish capital on the back of a mixed start to the Ligue 1 season, having won their opening two home games and lost both of their away matches.

They followed a narrow defeat to ten-man Rennes with a dominant 5-2 victory, before they fell to a 1-0 loss in their away clash with Lyon before the international window.

Marseille produced an emphatic response in their first game back after the two-week break, scoring three first-half goals in a commanding 4-0 win over Lorient at the Stade Velodrome.

Mason Greenwood, Benjamin Pavard, Angel Gomes and Nayef Aguerd all got on the scoresheet to help their side move into sixth position in the Ligue 1 table.

The current Marseille squad will create history by guiding the club to its first-ever win over Real Madrid, although those hopes may be tempered by the fact that a French team have never won an away match against Los Blancos in 15 previous attempts in the Champions League/European Cup (D4, L11).

Real Madrid form (all competitions):

W W W W

Marseille form (all competitions):

L W L W

Team News

Experienced Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger has joined Ferland Mendy and Endirck on the absentee list after he sustained a muscle injury in training last week.

In positive news, Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga have been named in the squad, although they are unlikely to be ready to start Tuesday's fixture.

Alonso has not been afraid to make alterations to his side in the opening stages of the season, so it would not be surprising to see him make changes for Tuesday’s contest, with Federico Valverde and Franco Mastantuono pushing for recalls.

Trent Alexander-Arnold could also come back into the side, as he continues to share the right-back role with Spain international Dani Carvajal.

As for Marseille, goalkeeper Ruben Blanco and defender Pol Lirola will not be involved after being left out of De Zerbi’s Champions League squad.

Forward Amine Gouiri is a major doubt after he was forced off in the first half of Friday's win over Lorient with a head injury.

Defender CJ Egan-Riley will return from suspension, but he may find it difficult to reclaim a starting spot from Pavard and Aguerd.

Goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are both pushing for recalls after dropping down to the bench at the weekend.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Militao, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni; Mastantuono, Guler, Vinicius; Mbappe

Marseille possible starting lineup:

Rulli; Murillo, Pavard, Aguerd, Medina; Gomes, Kondogbia; Greenwood, Nadir, Weah; Aubameyang

We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Marseille

Marseille may have beaten Lorient with consummate ease on Friday, but they have lost narrowly in both of their Ligue 1 road trips, which will not inspire confidence ahead of a daunting visit to the Santiago Bernabeu.

With that in mind, we think that Real Madrid will do enough to continue their impressive start to the season by claiming a narrow win in Tuesday's home clash.

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