Asensio in for injured Bale as record champions Madrid visit CSKA Moscow

Real Madrid will be looking to return to winning ways on Tuesday night when they take on CSKA Moscow in their second Champions League outing of the season.

Los Blancos were thrashed 3-0 by Sevilla and then held to a goalless draw by Atletico Madrid in their last two outings, taking the gloss off what had been a solid start to life at the Bernabeu for Julen Lopetegui.

Following on from their straightforward victory over Roma in their opening Champions League fixture two weeks ago, however, Madrid have a chance to take another step towards retaining their European crown for a fourth year in a row.

Ahead of their midweek trip to the Russian capital, Sports Mole looks at how the reigning champions could line up

Possible RMA XI vs. CSKA

Bale failed to re-emerge for the second half of Los Blancos’ 0-0 draw against Atletico at the weekend and is not part of his side’s travelling party for this Group F clash.

Madrid will also be without Isco as the Spain international was recently diagnosed with acute appendicitis, keeping him out of action for a few weeks, while Marcelo is still feeling the effects of a calf niggle and skipper Ramos has been given the night off.

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With places up for grabs either side of Karim Benzema in the forward line, Marco Asensio is expected to be given the nod on the left and Lucas Vazquez on the right, with the latter potentially making his first start of the Lopetegui era.

Versatile defender Nacho is the obvious option to replace Marcelo at left-back, meanwhile, and Keylor Navas is almost certain to return in goal as he appears to be Madrid’s designated cup keeper for this season.

Having only managed to find the back of the net once in their last three outings, it seems like Real Madrid have lost their spark in front of goal.

Los Blancos have not celebrated a goal since Marco Asensio’s strike against Espanyol at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

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Julen Lopetegui’s men have gone 229 minutes without scoring and it is causing some concern in the Spanish capital.

Comparing Real Madrid’s goalscoring statistics in previous LaLiga Santanderseasons, the conclusion is clear: this Madrid side have scored the least in the past 10 years.

The team have bagged 12 goals, one less than last year on day seven of the domestic league and 13 less than in the 2014/2015 season, which was remembered as one the best attacking Real Madrid sides.

Not only have Lopetegui’s men lost their spark to score but they have also create less danger near the penalty box.

Image result for real madrid struggling for goals

Their total shots on goal has drastically reduced compared to previous years, resulting in their lowest production in the last 10 years.

The team have had 45 shots in the league of which 39 have been on target.

Real Madrid are blaming this on the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.

With the exception of the last two seasons, in which the first league games ended in defeats, the Portuguese player was the main man when it came to scoring for Real Madrid.

His average on day seven of LaLiga Santander was superior to 20 shots on goal per match.

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