Napoli go all-out attack with Dries Mertens and Piotr Zielinski against Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez in the Champions League showdown.
The first leg in the Champions League Round of 16 kicks off at 19.45 GMT.
Follow all the build-up and action as it happens while sharing your views on the LIVEBLOG.
Real Madrid are the reigning champions of Europe and the World, having won the Club World Cup in December.
Napoli go all-out attack with Dries Mertens and Piotr Zielinski against Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez in the Champions League showdown.
The first leg in the Champions League Round of 16 kicks off at 19.45 GMT.
Follow all the build-up and action as it happens while sharing your views on the LIVEBLOG.
Real Madrid are the reigning champions of Europe and the World, having won the Club World Cup in December.
Gareth Bale is out injured and Luka Modric not 100 per cent fit, as he only just returned from an injury lay-off, but starts anyway in midfield.
Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo leads the line with Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez, who are preferred to Alvaro Morata, Lucas Vazquez and Isco.
The Colombia international is a surprise, because it was believed the choice was between Vazquez and Isco.
Zinedine Zidane has used a 3-5-2 system at times this season, but returns to the traditional 4-3-3 for such a big game.
It also mirrors Napoli’s tactical shape and Maurizio Sarri assured he had absolutely no intention of changing his all-attack approach.
“My only doubt is whether to start three strikers or four,” mused the Coach in his Press conference yesterday.
Zielinski, the more creative option in midfield rather than Allan, is picked with Amadou Diawara getting the nod ahead of Jorginho for a very young midfield.
Captain Marek Hamsik is there, as always, while Mertens has been a revelation as the False 9 flanked by Jose Callejon and Lorenzo Insigne.
Arkadiusz Milik and Leonardo Pavoletti are yet to fully recover from long-term injuries, but the Croatian is on the bench.
There will be a minute’s silence before kick-off at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid board member Luis Gomez-Montejano, who died on February 5 at the age of 94.
Napoli have scored in 10 of their total 11 Champions League away matches. The only blanks were fired in a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal in 2013.
Real Madrid: Keylor Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Kroos, Casemiro; James Rodriguez, Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid bench: Kiko Casilla, Pepe, Nacho, Lucas Vazquez, Kovacic, Isco, Morata
Napoli: Reina; Hysaj, Koulibaly, Albiol, Ghoulam; Hamsik, Diawara, Zielinski; Callejon, Mertens, Insigne
Napoli bench: Rafael, Maksimovic, Maggio, Allan, Jorginho, Giaccherini, Milik