Real Madrid will need to improve from their performance against Celta Vigo should they want to pick up all three points when they take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Despite beating Celta Vigo 2-1, it was a less than convincing performance from Carlo Ancelotti's side. It's a criticism he is keenly aware of but has yet to find a solution. Over the weekend, he experimented with three center-backs to poor results.
The experiment failed so poorly in fact that Marca reported that those tactics won't be used again. The balance that Ancelotti has been trying to find continues to be a huge question mark and it won't be any different against Borussia Dortmund.
The game is a rematch of last season's final where Real Madrid beat Dortmund 2-0. The two sides are having differing fortunes in their respective leagues. While not playing well, Madrid are still getting results and sit in second in LaLiga. Meanwhile, it's more of the same for Dortmund as they sit seventh in the Bundesliga.
Because of the way Dortmund play, Carlo Ancelotti believes his side could get things back on track against the Germans.
" we have more difficulty in a possession and control game, because we don't have the players with the characteristics of playing in small spaces," Ancelotti said. "The back-and-forth game suits us well, but we are focused on defending better, as we did very well last year. We are trying to give the team more solidity."
With players like Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, it's no surprise why Ancelotti would prefer a more stretched game where Madrid can take advantage of their players up front.
At the same time, it's the weapons in attack that has caused Madrid problems so far this season. It's led to opponents being able to create chances. The reason it hasn't bit Madrid more is because the opponents have left them off the hook. Against Celta Vigo -- and Real Sociedad earlier in the season -- they had opportunities only to be let down by poor finishing or heroics from Thibaut Courtois.
"It's only possible as a collective against a team like Real Madrid," Julian Brandt said. " We want to be brave and build on the last two games in the Champions League."
Easier said than done but it's more likely than not Dortmund will be able to create goal scoring opportunities but the challenge will be able to convert them. It's cost teams in Spain and it cost Dortmund in the final as they were unable to take advantage of those opportunities.
The pressure is on Real Madrid given their displays but with this only being Matchday 3 and with this new format, theoretically, they can afford to drop points and still qualify to the next round. It's not something they are going to do but undoubtedly in the back of their minds will be their next game, which is El Clasico against Barcelona.