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Real Madrid and AC Milan depleted for Group C clash today
Coach Manuel Pellegrini could also be without Lassana Diarra, who was unable to train with the squad on Monday after picking up a knock at the weekend, while Milan goalkeeper Marco Storari and midfielder Gennaro Gattuso have been ruled out with thigh and knee injuries respectively.
Real's wounded list includes midfielder Fernando Gago, striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and defender Christoph Metzelder, but there was some good news for Pellegrini on Monday when midfielder Guti trained as normal after recovering from an ankle problem.
Milan, which suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat by FC Zurich last month, has struggled under coach Leonardo, with the slow pace of play a particular problem, although Sunday's 2-1 win over AS Roma has eased the pressure.
Real defender Raul Albiol said Milan's poor form in Serie A this season would be irrelevant once the two European heavyweights take to the Bernabeu pitch.
"It's true that Milan is having a difficult time in its domestic league it is a great team and they always shows its face in the Champions League," Albiol told Real's Web site (www.realmadrid.com).
"They have a lot of experience in the competition and very good players and they will be extremely tough opponents," he added. "We are playing at home in front of a full house and we want to show what level we have reached."
Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi, 36, is largely being kept back from Serie A action in order to use his experience in Europe but there are doubts over the formation with Leonardo switching between 4-3-1-2, 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 in recent games.
"All teams have problems, we must not believe that Milan has more problems than others. If we manage to express ourselves at our best, we will be able to do much better than what we have done so far," Leonardo told reporters on Sunday.
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