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Los Blancos are aiming to make certain their place in the knockout stage of the Champions League after a traumatic start to the season
Second meets first in Champions League Group G this evening when Roma play host to Real Madrid in the Eternal City.
With nine points each through four matches, neither side is yet 100 per cent sure of their place in the knockout phase, yet the odds are that they are playing for top spot and a seeding for the last 16.
Three-time defending champions Real Madrid lie top of the pool courtesy of their 3-0 victory over the Italians in Spain, yet they have suffered their share of problems this season and were given a reminder of just how much work they need to do as they lost 3-0 to Eibar at the weekend.
Roma know that the Bernabeu side are vulnerable.
| Game | Roma vs Real Madrid |
| Date | Tuesday, November 27 |
| Time | 8pm GMT / 3pm ET |
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
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| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| TNT USA | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on BT Sport ESPN and it can be streamed live online using the BT Sport app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport ESPN | BT Sport app |
| Position | Roma players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Olsen, Mirant |
| Defenders | Karsdorp, Pellegrini, Juan Jesus, Kolarov, Marcano, Santon, Fazio, Manolas |
| Midfielders | Cristante, Coric, Zaniolo, Florenzi, N’Zonzi |
| Forwards | Perotti, Schick, Cengiz Under, Kluivert, Celar, El Shaarawy |
Edin Dzeko for Roma has been left out of the squad due to a possible injury, with Patrick Schick replacing him in attack.
Daniele De Rossi and Lorenzo Pellegrini are both absent from the midfield, where Diego Perotti and Javier Pastore are also missing, leaving them rather shorthanded.
Confirmed Roma starting XI: Olsen; Florenzi, Manolas, Fazio, Kolarov; Nzonzi, Cristante; Under, Zaniolo, El Shaarawy; Schick.
| 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 |
Casemiro’s absence due to an ankle problem continues to be the greatest headache for Santi Solari.
While Keylor Navas, Alvaro Odriozola, Nacho and Sergio Reguilon are absent, none of these players are anything like a regular in the starting XI.
Isco has been left out of the team entirely – he has not started a game following Solari’s appointment – with Lucas Vasquez starting in the front three.
Confirmed Real Madrid starting XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Kroos, Benzema, Modric, Bale, Marcelo, Vazquez, Llorente.
Real Madrid are priced as 21/20 favourites to bounce back from their weekend loss by bet365. Roma are 13/5 to get the better of the defending champions, while a draw is 14/5.
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The honeymoon is over for new Real Madrid coach Santi Solari, who had enjoyed four victories from four matches before his side came spectacularly unstuck at the weekend, crashing to a 3-0 loss against unheralded Eibar.
Los Blancos have now lost five of their opening 13 league matches of the season and lie sixth in the table, six points behind leaders Sevilla and five back from Clasico rivals Barcelona.
“It is not about finding people to blame,” Solari said after the weekend setback. “We have things to fix, things to do ourselves. But everything is fixable. We had won four straight games, we had done some things very well, and so we must return to that.”
The rookie coach, though, is not about to press the panic button.
“To take conclusions from just one game, to change everything, is not right. I look at the five games since I arrived and take the conclusions from there.”
As if Madrid’s on-field issues were not substantial enough, they have been rocked by claims that centre-back Sergio Ramos has failed dope tests in the past, although they have moved to strenuously deny these claims.
On Tuesday, they meet a Roma side that has also come under pressure having falling to seventh in Serie A after a 1-0 loss to Udinese at the weekend.
Criticism headed the way of the club and Eusebio Di Francesco, however, has been batted away by Aleksandar Kolarov.
“The fans have a right to be annoyed, we respect that, but they must be conscious of the fact they know nothing about football,” he said.
“I like tennis and basketball. I have played both since I was a kid and I get angry when my team loses, but I would never offer tactical advice because I have no idea about it. It’s a general problem, fans of every team should understand that.”
Should things go awry for Roma, the left-back will do well to receive the kind of sympathetic response he wants from the Stadio Olimpico crowd.
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