Real Madrid head to Athens looking for a fourth straight Champions League victory, as qualification for the knockout stages inches closer.

Los Blancos will be desperate to avoid having to repeat the ignominy (and stress) of the playoff round, as they did last season. They have put themself in a strong position to make the top eight this time around with a 100% record under José Mourinho, beating Inter Milan, Roma and RB Leipzig thus far.

Next up is AEK and, respectfully, an away day against the team placed fourth in Greece’s Super League will not be met with much trepidation by a Madrid side finally firing on all cylinders. This is exactly the sort of fixture Mourinho’s men need to get through with minimal fuss before a more daunting test against Arsenal next month.

Here’s how Real Madrid could line up on Matchday 4 of the Champions League.

Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. AEK Athens

GK: Thibaut Courtois—The Belgian bagged a clean sheet on his return after missing the Clásico with a bout of flu. He will start unless another surprise virus hits.

RB: Denzel Dumfries—With Federico Valverde a major doubt and Trent Alexander-Arnold playing at the weekend, the Dutch summer signing could come back in at right back for the midweek clash.

CB: Antonio Rüdiger—The veteran German has started Madrid’s last two Champions League fixtures, scoring in the dramatic comeback win over Roma.

CB: Dean Huijsen—Now Madrid’s first-choice center back, Huijsen led the defensive contributions again at the weekend with 15 against Racing.

LB: Álvaro Carreras—With Marc Cucurella playing the full 90 on Sunday, the expensive Carreras could be rotated in for some relief.

CM: Arda Güler—The Türkiye star has excelled this season out on the right, but might be dropped into a deeper role against a weaker opponent as Mourinho plays with his engine-room options.

Pick Your Real Madrid XI!

CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—Madrid don’t have another player with the profile of Tchouaméni and he may be required to provide ballast if Güler is given a more free-range role.

RW: Yan Diomande—The Ivorian is showing everybody why Madrid paid the big bucks for him this season. He bagged a goal and an assist in his last Champions League outing against Leipzig.

AM: Jude Bellingham—Now on 50 goals for Real Madrid in total, nine of those have come in the Champions League.

LW: Vinícius Júnior—Suspended in La Liga, each Champions League match offers Vinícius Júnior a chance to re-capture his old sparkle. However, he has yet to make the most of the opportunity. In the wins over Roma and Leipzig, he did not even attempt a single dribble.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—Ballon d’Or runner-up Mbappé has three already in Europe this season. Expect him to add to that on Wednesday.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Predicted Lineup vs. AEK Athens: Vinicius Jr Returns for Champions League.