Real Madrid will get their Champions League defence underway with a home clash against Roma in Group G, and will be on course to challenge for a historic fourth successive European title.
New goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is set to make his European debut for the club on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu, while Roma will also be welcoming a new shot-stopper – with Robin Olsen replacing the departed Alisson in goal.
All eyes will be on the front-three of Gareth Bale, Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema after Cristiano Ronaldo left to join Juventus earlier this summer, and Julen Lopetegui will be eager to get his debut season with the club with a win over Roma.
| Game | Real Madrid vs Roma |
| Date | Wednesday, September 19 |
| Time | 8pm BST / 3pm EST |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game will be shown on Univision Deportes and TNT USA and livestreamed through B/R Live.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision Deportes, TNT USA | B/R Live |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on BT Sport ESPN and livestramed through BT Sport Live.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport ESPN | BT Sport Live |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Real Madrid players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Navas, Courtois, Casilla, Zidane |
| Defenders | Carvajal, Vallejo, Varane, Ramos, Nacho, Marcelo, Reguilon, Odriozola, Adri, Sanchez, Lopez |
| Midfielders | Casemiro, Llorente, Kroos, Modric, Ceballos, Alarcon, Valverde, Seoane, Franchu |
| Forwards | Bale, Vazquez, Benzema, Asensio, Diaz, Junior, Perez |
Confirmed Real Madrid XI: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo; Kroos, Modric, Casemiro Isco; Benzema, Bale.
| Position | Roma players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Olsen, Mirant |
| Defenders | Karsdorp, Pellegrini, Juan Jesus, Kolarov, Marcano, Santon, Fazio, Manolas |
| Midfielders | Cristante, Pellegrini, De Rossi, Coric, Zaniolo, Florenzi, Pastore, N'Zonzi |
| Forwards | Perotti, Dzeko, Schick, Cengiz Under, Kluivert, Celar, El Shaarawy |
Confirmed Roma XI: Olsen; Florenzi, ,Fazio, Manolas, Kolarov; Zaniolo, De Rossi, N'Zonzi, Dzeko, Under, El Shaarawy.
Betting & Match Odds
Real Madrid are priced at odds of winning 4/11 according to bet 365, while a draw is available at 19/4. A win for Roma is priced at 15/2.
Match Preview
Real Madrid and Roma faced each other in the International Champions' Cup earlier this summer, with the European champions running out 2-1 winners.
The two haven't met competitively, however, since 2016 in the Champions League where Real Madrid won the tie 2-1. Roma haven't registered a victory over Real Madrid since 2008, when they managed to beat the Spanish side 4-2 on aggregate.
Welsh international Bale is expected to step up in the midst of Ronaldo's absence, though his time at the Bernabeu has come at varying levels of success. He has made his mark ostensibly in several Champions League finals – coming on as a substitute in the final against Liverpool and scoring two goals to win 3-1 – but injuries have plagued his time in Spain.
Bale has struggled to stay fit for longer than a few successive games, but Real Madrid will require him to retain full fitness if he is to be used as their main forward and finally having the opportunity to play as the main attacker and not second-fiddle to Ronaldo.
Aleksandar Kolarov will be tasked with keeping the Welshman quiet at the Bernabeu, though Bale has already had a strong start to the season – scoring three goals and assisting two in La Liga this season.
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