Predicted lineups: Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid have been boosted by the return of Federico Valverde for their highly anticipated Champions League showdown with Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night.

Valverde, who missed Los Blancos' 2-1 defeat to Real Betis on Saturday, is expected to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup. The versatile Uruguayan could once again feature at right-back, as he did in the playoff ties against Manchester City, given Lucas Vazquez’s limited recovery time from a recent injury.

However, Real Madrid will be without Jude Bellingham for this round of 16 first-leg tie. The English midfielder is suspended after accumulating his third yellow card of the season during the 3-1 win over Manchester City in the previous round.

Additionally, Dani Ceballos is sidelined with a leg injury sustained in last week’s Copa del Rey semi-final victory over Real Sociedad, ruling him out for up to a month.

Despite these setbacks, Carlo Ancelotti has plenty of options in midfield. Eduardo Camavinga is likely to partner Aurelien Tchouameni, while Luka Modric could also feature. Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz provide further depth if rotation is required.

In attack, Kylian Mbappe is set to lead the line despite limited training due to a dental issue, supported by Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo.

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, arrive in strong form following their 1-0 win over Athletic Club on Saturday. However, captain Koke remains unavailable due to injury, and Cesar Azpilicueta is a doubt after missing training on Monday.

Diego Simeone is expected to restore several key players who were rested at the weekend, including Marcos Llorente, Jose Gimenez, and Julian Alvarez.

Alvarez, who netted the winner against Athletic, is poised to play a pivotal role alongside Conor Gallagher in midfield.

This iconic Madrid derby marks the 239th encounter between the two sides across all competitions and their tenth meeting in Europe’s premier club tournament – a record for teams from the same country.

While Atlético carry confidence from recent H2H draws and back-to-back European wins against Real, history heavily favours Los Blancos, who have advanced in all five previous Champions League knockout ties between the two.