Champions League: Madrid aims to win duels, counterattacks, and keep a tight defense against City.

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti will go all out with his lineup for Tuesday's Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Manchester City.

The Italian promised "nothing strange" with his first XI, and has kept his word by fielding pretty much the same side that has gotten his team this far in the competition and also earned an eight-point lead at the La Liga summit.

There was a big decision to make on who would partner Antonio Rudiger, though, and Ancelotti has gone with midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni as opposed to captain Nacho.

The fullbacks are Ferland Mendy on the left and Dani Carvajal on the right, with Andriy Lunin chosen between the sticks for the biggest game of his career so far.

In midfield, pivot Eduardo Camavinga sits behind Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde, with Jude Bellingham in an advanced attacking position behind a front-two winger pairing of Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo.

Vinicius made a demand of fans to wear all white in the Bernabeu, with the club also preparing its first 360-degree mosaic since before the pandemic and requesting to UEFAEFA +0.5% that the stadium roof can be closed to "boost the atmosphere" according to ESPN.

While all these are clever steps to take, Ancelotti ultimately knows that the game will be decided on the pitch as he pointed out in his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon.

"It's at the feet of the highest quality players. There are a lot of players from both teams with a lot of quality. This will determine the match, as it always does.

"Apart from the strategy, which must be clear, the players are convinced to do things in the best way. A lot is going on in these games.

"You have to do your best, there are a lot of things that are needed to get through this tie," he pointed out.

 As Ancelotti also indicated, Madrid will aim to win their duels, take advantage of counterattacks, and also keep a tight defense.

Getting a 1-1 result like in the semi-final first leg last year here wouldn't be a bad result, providing things go better at the Etihad next week.

Real Madrid First XI: Lunin; Mendy, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Carvajal; Camavinga, Kroos, Valverde, Bellingham; Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo