Champions League holders Real Madrid begin this season's competition when they entertain Stuttgart at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday night.
Carlo Ancelotti's side face their German rivals after a 2-0 win away to Real Sociedad in San Sebastian in a game much more complicated than the final score indicates.
Both of Madrid's goals came from the penalty spot, with the first arriving in the second half after Real Sociedad had hit the woodwork three times.
The absence of Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos, Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni left Madrid looking unbalanced in central midfield, and although Ancelotti should be able to count on Bellingham and Tchouameni on Tuesday, he probably won't risk starting them.
While Ancelotti can welcome players back into his squad, Saturday saw him lose Morocco international Brahim Diaz with an injured adductor muscle that looks likely to keep him out until December. That means Rodrygo, who replaced him on Saturday, is likely to start.
Kylian Mbappe impressed on Saturday and appears to be adapting to life at his new club, but Vinicius Jr is slowly coming under the spotlight at Real Madrid.
Despite being a key player for the club, the media have begun to question some of his on-field actions, such as the 'be-quiet' gesture he made to the home fans in San Sebastian after opening the scoring.
Although the Brazilian can expect a warm welcome from the fans in the Bernabeu, with rumours of big-money interest from Saudi Arabia, there is increasing noise in the press that the player needs to change his attitude or Real Madrid could consider accepting an offer for him.
