Real Madrid will be aiming to bounce back from a heavy de­feat in El Clasico when they con­tinue their 2024-25 Champions League campaign with a contest against Italian giants, AC Milan, on today.

Los Blancos have picked up six points from their three European matches this season to occupy 12th in the Champions League table, while Milan have collected three points from their opening three games to sit in 25th position.

Real Madrid will be well-rest­ed heading into their European contest with Milan, as their La Liga contest with Valencia, which was due to take place on Saturday night, was postponed due to the devastating floods in Spain.

As a result, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have not been in action since their 4-0 loss to Barcelona on October 26, and are nine points off the top of the La Liga table after Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Espanyol Sunday evening.

Real Madrid must put league matters aside for the moment, though, and fully focus on the Champions League, with the reigning European champions bid­ding to move onto nine points in the Champions League table.

Ancelotti’s team have beaten Stuttgart and Borussia Dort­mund in the competition this season, but they lost in Lille last month, and a total of six points from three matches has left them in 12th spot, one point behind eighth-placed Sporting Lisbon.

Los Blancos are yet to hit full flow this season and have now lost two of their last five match­es in all competitions, but they will be expecting to record two wins over Milan and Osasuna ahead of the November interna­tional break.

Real Madrid have faced Milan on 15 previous occasions, with both sides posting six wins, but this will be the first meeting between the two sides since the group stage of the 2010-11 Champions League.

Milan have only ever won once at Bernabeu, which came in the group stage of the 2009- 10 Champions League, and the most famous meeting between the two sides took place in the final of the 1958 European Cup, with Real Madrid recording a 3-2 victory.

The last six meetings between the two sides have taken place in the group stage of the Champions League, with Milan posting two wins during that period, and the Italian giants will be aiming to secure an upset on Tuesday night.

The Red and Blacks lost their opening two matches in the league phase of this season’s competition to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, before recording a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge last time out, a total of three points from three matches has left them in 25th spot.

Paulo Fonseca’s side will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Monza on Saturday, with the team bouncing back from their 2-0 home defeat to Napoli at the end of last month.

Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe are set to feature as the front two, but Luka Modric may be given the nod over Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of midfield, with Ancelotti wanting more control in that area of the field.

Rafael Leao started from the bench against Monza, with the attacker only managing one goal during a disappointing start to the campaign, but Fonseca has hinted that the Portugal interna­tional will be in the XI against Real Madrid.

Emerson Royal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also expect­ed to earn recalls following the clash with Monza, while there should be a spot at centre-for­ward for former Real Madrid striker Al­varo Morata.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved the Accra Sports Stadium to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier between Ghana and Sudan.

The Black Stars face the Falcons of Jediane on match day three of the qualifying series for the tournament to be hosted in Morocco.

Prior to the approval, CAF had directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to select an alternative venue for the game after the temporary approval of the Baba Yara Stadium was lifted.

CAF inspected both the Cape Coast Stadium and the Accra Sports Stadium last week before eventually turning down the former.

A statement from CAF on the approval read:

‘’Following a comprehensive review of the reports of the CAF independent inspection regarding the Cape Coast and Accra Sports Stadia, we are pleased to inform you that the Accra Sports Stadium has been approved to host the AFCON Qualifiers for Morocco 2025. Specifically, it will host the Group F – Matchday 3 encounter between Ghana and Sudan, which is scheduled for October 11, 2024.

“In light of this approval, we kindly request that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the stadium management team prioritise the necessary enhancements to the pitch and other critical areas of the stadium leading up to the match day to ensure an optimal experience for both teams and the attending fans.

“Please note that CAF will continue to closely monitor the readiness of the stadium for this match, as well as for future CAF-sanctioned events.”

The Black Stars are hoping to get their qualifying campaign back on track after failing to win any of their opening two games against Angola and Niger.

This fixture is scheduled for Friday, October 11, 2024.

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he is no longer focused on being the best player in the world or chasing records.

Instead, the 39-year-old Portuguese star emphasised his desire to help his team and enjoy the game.

Speaking after Al-Nassr’s 2-1 AFC Champions League win against Al-Rayyan, where he scored his 904th career goal, Ronaldo reflected on his current priorities.

“It is not important anymore whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that,” Ronaldo said. “I am used to breaking records, and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al-Nassr and my team-mates to win.”

Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in January 2023 after leaving Manchester United, has already left an indelible mark in Saudi football, setting a new league scoring record with 35 goals in the Saudi Pro League last season.

Despite his personal achievements, Ronaldo’s focus now seems to have shifted towards his team’s success rather than individual accolades.

Looking ahead, Ronaldo hinted that he could retire with Al-Nassr, stating in August, “I don’t know if I will retire soon, in two or three years, but probably I will retire here at Al-Nassr.”

While Cristiano Ronaldo has helped Al-Nassr lift the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, he has yet to secure domestic or continental silverware with the club.

Despite this, the Portuguese legend has set a personal target of reaching 1,000 career goals before hanging up his boots.