After a short break, the UEFA Champions League is back. On Tuesday evening, the third round of group stage matches will feature eight intriguing clashes. The most anticipated match will take place in Madrid, where two leaders of Group H - champions "Real" against London's "Tottenham" - will meet. The match will start at 9:45 PM Lithuanian time. Sporting form Both teams started the UEFA Champions League tournament strongly - both securing two victories and not losing any points so far. Points in this group are very important for both teams, as "Tottenham" and "Real" are competing with "Borussia" for advancement to the next stage. Both teams have not only achieved victories but also impressive results in the group stage. Against Borussia Dortmund, both teams celebrated victories with a score of 3-1, while against APOEL Nicosia, victories were secured with a score of 3-0. Both "Real" and "Tottenham" have clear leaders in their ranks - Harry Kane has already scored five goals in two matches, while Cristiano Ronaldo added four precise strikes for the "White" team. Over the weekend, both clubs faced difficulties in their respective leagues. Zinedine Zidane's team won against Getafe with a score of 2-1, with a winning goal from Cristiano Ronaldo only in the 85th minute. "Tottenham" also had a tough time securing a victory in the English Premier League - Christian Eriksen's sole goal decided the victory against Bournemouth. This victory finally broke the "Spurs" curse at Wembley Stadium, where they will face the same "Real" in a few weeks. "Real" and "Tottenham" are currently occupying third place in their respective leagues, both with 17 points and trailing the leaders by just a 5-point difference. Team news At the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium, we will not see full team lineups as both sides have injuries. The champions of the old continent will have to do without defender Dani Carvajal, midfielder Mateo Kovacic, and forward Gareth Bale due to injuries. On the other hand, "Tottenham" will have to play without Ben Davies, Victor Wanyama, Georges-Kevin N'Koudou, and the suspended Dele Alli in this match. Predicted starting lineups: "Real Madrid": Keylor Navas; Nacho, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric; Isco; Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema. "Tottenham": Hugo Lloris; Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Jan Vertonghen; Serge Aurier, Eric Dier, Harry Winks, Kevin Trippier; Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son. Coaches' comments: Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane: "We are very happy to have the opportunity to play in the Champions League again, especially against such a great opponent. This will be a test as we are playing against a new team. We know we have two games against Tottenham, and we aim to win both. These should be great matches for those who truly love football. Tottenham is a very strong team with many great players - not just Harry Kane. Mauricio Pochettino does a great job as well. We hope it won't be their successful day, and we can fight for three points." Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino: "Today, we face another challenge. It's a great opportunity for us to see if we are already capable of competing at this level. We are all thrilled to be able to compete in this tournament and showcase our abilities. Real is an amazing team - the best in the world. It should be a huge honor for any player to play in such high-level matches against such opponents. For our team, this will be a great test, as playing at the Santiago Bernabeu is something special." Interesting facts Real Madrid has not lost a home match in the UEFA Champions League group stage since October 2009 - with 21 wins and two draws. Zinedine Zidane's players have only lost one of the last 21 Champions League matches. The only failure was in the last season's semifinal, but that didn't stop them from reaching the final. The "Whites" have not lost to English Premier League representatives in 11 consecutive matches - eight wins and three draws. The last time Real Madrid had to admit defeat to a Premier League representative in the Champions League was in the 2008-09 season, losing painfully (0-4) to Liverpool in the quarterfinals. Tottenham last played at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in 2011. The Spurs team then suffered a 0-4 defeat in a quarterfinal match against the hosts. This will be the first time since 2011 that Tottenham will face a Spanish club. Before the loss to Real, Tottenham suffered a home defeat to Getafe in the 2007-08 season. Harry Kane, who scored a hat-trick against APOEL, is currently the most prolific Champions League player with five goals. Before the victory in Nicosia, Tottenham had lost their last two away matches in the Champions League.
