Diomande's €125m debut pits Madrid against his former Leipzig
Real Madrid host RB Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday 21 October at 21.00, the third matchday of the Champions League group stage. Yan Diomande, the club’s record €125 million signing, is slated to start against the side that sold him.
Real Madrid's group position and injury list
Los de José Mourinho’s men sit atop their group with two wins from two games, while the Germans sit in 21st place with a single victory from two outings. Rodrygo, Raúl Asencio and Ferland Mendy are sidelined through injury, leaving Carreras to cover the left‑back role. The medical update arrives ahead of the classic clash scheduled for Sunday 25 October. The term Deportivo appears in the original headline.
The expected eleven features Thibaut Courtois between the posts, a back four of Federico Valverde, Ibrahima Konaté, Antonio Rüdiger and Carreras. In midfield, Arda Güler and Aurélien Tchouaméni anchor the centre, while Jude Bellingham sits behind Kylian Mbappé, with Vinícius Júnior and Diomande leading the attack.
Leipzig's side and Diomande's history
RB Leipzig, seventh in the Bundesliga, are expected to line up with Péter Vandevoordt in goal, a defence of Orban, Lukas Lukeba, Robin Klostermann and Christopher Raum. The midfield trio of Banzuzi, El Aynaoui and Reitz supports forwards Nusa, Gruda and Christopher Nkunku.
Diomande knows this defence well; he wore the Leipzig shirt last season and netted twelve Bundesliga goals before Madrid paid a fee no other white club had ever matched. His first goal for Real already came, adding personal intrigue to the encounter.
Kylian Mbappé will test the centre‑backs Lukeba and Orban, two of the three men anchoring Leipzig’s back line, while Güler and Tchouaméni face El Aynaoui, Banzuzi and Reitz in midfield. The white side’s second phase and Bellingham’s distribution could dictate the tempo.
The match will be shown on Movistar Liga de Campeones (dial 60) and Movistar+ (dial 7), giving fans a clear view of the tactical battle. The contrast between Diomande’s debut against his former club and the differing group fortunes underscores a pivotal moment for both teams.